Ten Hugs
by RainbowSerenity
Summary: /RikuxSora/ Written for LJ community 10hugs. Whether they're friends or something more, there's always room for a hug. Theme ten: Phone calls are forgotten and emails are deleted, but letters are kept forever. Over a lifetime...they spell destiny.
1. Storm

_-waves- Hello, hello! I come bearing another one of those crazy LiveJournal challenges. Woot. xD_

_This was written for the community 10hugs, which I believe is still fairly new, so if you're on LJ, check it out! And check out my journal too, while you're at it. xD This is going to be a series of ten different oneshots all having to do with a different theme, but each one of the stories has to have a hug in there somewhere. If you're interested, I've done another challenge for 7snogs with Axel/Roxas as the pairing...you can check that out under my profile. :D_

_Anyway, like the summary said, the pairing for this challenge is Riku/Sora...my OTP! YAAAY! xD Expect all different kinds of ratings on this set...I can tell you right now from the themes I picked that some of them are probably going to be perverted. xD Ahaha wow._

_But this one's just cute. :D I've never written a Little Riku/Little Sora fic, so this just made me meeelt. Hehehe. Anyway, let's kick this pig! Enjoy:D_

**Theme: Storm  
****Rating: K**

It was hurricane season on Destiny Islands. With most of the residents there having lived on the beautiful beachfronts their whole lives, they weren't very fazed. Get the batteries, canned food, bottled water, maybe a backup generator, and you were set.

However, such a storm could still be very unnerving for a child...

Six year-old Sora _hated_ storms, hurricanes definitely included. His mother always told him that he was born during the worst hurricane in Destiny Islands' history, and was named because his eyes were the same shade of blue as the sky when the whole outburst had passed.

Not that any of that mattered to a six year-old. All he cared about was that storms made _loud _noises, lightning was scary, and the island could float away if it rained too much! Sora pictured all of his neighbors getting on the beach, rowing the island around the ocean with big oars like he did with his boat. That might be fun for awhile, but wouldn't it get really tiring?

Hmm...he'd have to ask Riku, his _best _friend in the world! Riku was a whole year older than Sora, so he knew practically _everything! _He always had an answer to Sora's questions, no matter how dumb they seemed.

With that thought in mind, Sora ran to Riku's house one cloudy morning after hastily telling his mom where he was off to. His little brown sandals flapped with every step, but went unnoticed by the boy. He quickly bounded towards the silver-haired boy's house without really paying attention to where he was going—the path to his home was practically automatic; he could probably find it in his sleep.

"Riku! RikuRikuRikuRiku!" Sora babbled, knocking on the big screen door to his best friend's house. To his surprise, Riku didn't come and answer the door immediately like he normally did. Cocking his head in confusion, the younger boy struggled to pull the door open with his tiny fingers. After a few unsuccessful moments though, the door suddenly swung open with gusto, nearly whacking Sora in the face.

"Hey!" he complained with a pout on his face. His expression brightened a second later when he realized it had been Riku who opened the door. Yay!

Riku, however, wasn't amused. The older boy frowned and gave Sora a funny look. "What you doing here? Didn't your mom tell you—"

Sora, however, wasn't in the mood to listen, his little child mind still full of questions he knew only Riku would be able to answer. "Meet me in the Secret Place soon, 'kay?" He dashed off without waiting for an answer, leaving the silver-haired boy to sigh and ask his own mom if he could go outside and play while he still could.

--

The Secret Place was actually a cave, hidden behind a glittering waterfall and a narrow passageway. Sora and Riku had discovered it a few months ago when they had been playing hide-and-seek with Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, and found that it was the perfect size for two best friends to squeeze through. Now it was the only place they would ever hang out at—not even playing video games all day could compare.

Sora made his way towards the back of the Place, sitting against a wall of scribbles. He grinned to himself, remembering how he and Riku had quickly made a mess of the once-plain cave. They had quickly found out that you could easily carve pictures, words, whatever you wanted with a sharpened rock. They could hardly wait to be grown-up, so they could make pictures on the ceiling!

The brunet had gotten so side-tracked thinking about the possibility of being five feet tall that he didn't notice a certain someone had joined him until a loud "BOO!" echoed through the cave.

"AHHH!" Sora cried, flailing his arms and falling over, nearly eating dirt. He quickly stood up and put his hands on his skinny little hips, trying his best to look stern.

Riku was unaffected. He just rolled his brilliant aquamarine eyes and plopped on the ground, crossing his arms. "Look Sora, I'm not really supposed be out here right now. I think your Mom's lookin' for you—"

The younger boy either pretended not to hear or just plain didn't, because he interrupted with a shriek. "RIKU! I have something I _hafta _ask you, and don't laugh at me 'cause it's really, really, _reeeeally _important!"

Riku let out a sigh. It was such a burden being older and knowing more about the world. "What is it?"

"Well I heard Mom talking about the storms and she's afraid that the island's gonna get _flooded! _So I was just wondering if we'd be able to take our paddles and move the island around like a boat! Should we get our oars together? I know Tidus and Selphie would help paddle us around, but I dunno about Wakka; he's kinda weird and smells bad—"

"Sora, I think it's too late for that," Riku gently butted in. "There's _already _a huge storm coming! _My _mom said it could blow us right off the face of the world!"

Blue eyes widened in fear. "NOOO!" Sora suddenly latched on to Riku's shirt, clutching it desperately. "I don't wanna be blown off the face of the world! I _hate _storms!" Tears filled his eyes, threatening to spill over.

Riku laughed a little, attempting to pry Sora off of himself, but no avail. "Don't worry, Sora. I won't let the storm get you."

A muffled sniffle filled the cave. "R-really?"

"Yup."

"You won't?"

"I won't."

"Even if the whooooole island floods and we have to paddle ourselves around like a giant boat?"

"Yup, and we'll do that 'till we're all grown up. Then we can go on _real _adventures, ones a lot more scary than a storm!"

"Nothing's scarier than a storm," Sora replied, his voice still softened from his face buried in the older boy's chest. "But...you promise? You really, really, _really_ promise?"

Instead of replying right away, Riku swiftly moved his arms around Sora, like a true protector. He rested his head on the mess of brown spikes, smirking a little when he felt his best friend squeeze him around his waist, no longer so afraid.

"Yeah. I promise."

And that was exactly how their mothers found them just before the storm hit—sound asleep, snuggled in each other's embrace.

--

_Aww, now I feel like hugging my dog. xD Which is what I usually do when a hurricane hits...gahhh, living in Florida sucks. Meep. _

ANYWAY! There will be nine more where this came from, all different ratings and them at different ages and whatnot. And since this whole challenge is based on hugs, there may be one or two that are more friendship-esque or 'implied' Riku x Sora since not hugs don't always have to have a significant other attached, am I right? ;P But since I love this pairing more than anything, most of them are probably going to be written as they're a couple.

_But you still never know. ;D I'm just hoping this challenge will end up having something for everybody. We shall see how it goes!_

_Like, didn't like, or want to offer me cheese? At any rate, please **review! **Reviews rock and they make my year. Besides, you get bonbons. Yes, bonbons. I love my reviewers so much I go all out for them. xD_

_Stay tuned for the next theme!_


	2. Chocolate

_Woo, next theme. xD This one just kind of spilled out. Sora is a pervert. I mean, WUT WUT. XD_

_Uhhh, yeah, not much really to say about this one. It's a bit short, but I love it. It's my baby. I love it like...pie. Man, I could really go for some pie right about now. Oreo pie. Mmmyes._

Enjoy:D

**Theme: Chocolate  
Rating: T**

"How about some of these?"

"No."

"These?"

"No."

"Those?"

"No—wait, let me rephrase that: _hell _no."

"But Riiiii-kuuuu!" Plump lips formed into a little pout, narrowed eyes and crossed arms to go along with it. "Whyyy?"

Riku rolled his aquamarine eyes. "Sora, you of all people should know what happens when you eat all the sugar-infested stuff you're trying to shove into our cart. You get worse than _Selphie!_"

"Do not." Sora was still moping, shuffling his big feet in aisle five, the magical lane of sweet stuff—candy, ice cream toppings, cookies—items Sora would inhale if he could, but Riku simply didn't allow too much sugar in their home.

Despite his grumbling, Riku took no heed to the brunet's actions. It was almost tradition how the younger begged for sweets—_especially _chocolate. Sora looooved chocolate _almost_ as much as he loved his boyfriend. Almost.

Riku, however, just abhorred anything overly sugary. He wasn't a health freak or anything, but sweet stuff just didn't suit him. It was really amazing how he got along with Sora, who was nothing _but _a big, flying (though totally loveable) bundle of sugar.

Speaking of which, silver hair flew around just in time to catch a certain spiky-haired sugar freak trying to sneak a package of double chocolate chip cookies into their grocery cart. The culprit grinned sheepishly before his face melted into another pout, hastily shoving the box back on the shelf.

Honestly, Riku had to wonder why they came through this aisle at _all_.

"Aw, c'mon Ri-kuuuu!" Sora whined, totally not sounding like the eighteen year-old he was _supposed _to be. "Not even _one _package of cookies?"

"No, because either you'll eat them all yourself in one sitting or share them with Selphie. I've been with you long enough to know that either of those situations could have dire consequences, and I'm _not _cleaning up after you."

The pout seemed to be permanently stuck on Sora's face and still didn't let up as they cruised down the aisle. "Riku, don't you like _anything _sugary? You're such a—such a—such a _butthead!_"

They both stopped short, Riku's arm freezing in mid-air as he reached to take out a box of brownie mix that had mysteriously appeared in their shopping cart. He slowly turned to look at Sora with an eyebrow raised, and his shoulders shook as he attempted to keep the whole 'I-am-Riku-so-I-have-power-over-you' look, but he failed horribly. He burst out laughing, aqua eyes crinkling in sheer amusement and nearly doubled over with laughter right there in aisle five.

"_BUTTHEAD?!_" he cried, reaching to wipe a tear from his eye. "Butthead?! _That's _the best you could come up with? Don't you ever use _real _words once in awhile?"

Sora's lower lip jutted out even further. "Whaddya mean by _real _words?"

Riku shook his head, still grinning in amusement. "You're crazy."

"Love you too, butthead."

"Yeah, yeah."

"But I still don't think it's fair you won't let me have _anything _good." Aw crap, now Sora was in the despair-whiny phase of the shopping trip. "Just _one _thing? Pleeease?"

"No."

"Riku!"

"I _said _no."

"Alright, fine..." Sora huffed and crossed his arms, shuffling his feet as the couple made their way down the aisles. "How about this—if I find one 'bad' food thing that we can _both _like, you buy it. Okay?"

Riku, never one to pass up any challenge, immediately agreed. "But you're gonna lose. You know I don't have a sweet tooth."

"Yeah, because I stole it." Sora grinned and quickly wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist, who pulled him into a tight hug in response. "I _will _find something, just you wait!" With that, the brunet took off into the depths of the grocery store; leaving Riku chuckling to himself and throwing the random box of Pocky Sora had mysteriously gotten in the cart back on the shelf.

--

Riku was circling the produce aisle for the third time, trying to make sure he had gotten the best strawberries they had available. Riku actually liked _eating _the tart little fruits, but Sora always used them for some kind of way more sexy purpose, so he usually bought more than they needed. Honestly, Riku had to wonder why Sora was always trying to get him to eat more cookies and stuff. Nobody stayed looking this good eating mass amounts of sugar, no way.

But then again, that didn't explain Sora...

Hmph.

Speaking of which, that snarky little fruitcake still hadn't come back from his mission. Ha, ha, just as well. Riku had known all along that Sora wouldn't be able to find anything sweet they could both agree on. Sora was just too stubborn to admit that the silver-haired man was right about _everything. _

Riku shrugged his way around some free sample tables, maneuvering his cart gracefully. He decided to just check out; if Sora wanted anything else, well, he'd just have to wait until the shopping trip next week—or buy it himself, that little moocher.

All of the lanes were full, so Riku shoved himself in the shortest line; of course, there was only one person in front of him, but she was piling about two tons of items onto the conveyor belt. And now there was someone else behind him—crap! He was trapped! Ah well, at least this lane had all of the cool magazines. He grabbed a copy of the 'Official Gamestation' magazine and started to thumb through it. Sweeeet, the new Last Dream game was given a ten out of ten. He'd definitely have to pick a copy up when he got some extra cash.

"Oh Riiiii-kuuuuu!" a loud, sing-song voice called.

Aqua eyes widened in fear. Oh crap, was there some kind of sample table giving away cookies or something?! Riku hadn't passed one of those! Sora must've gone by the table a hundred times in a disguise! He always carried a fake mustache just for that purpose—although Riku was pretty sure he'd left it at home...

"Riku! There you are!" Sora squished his way past the people in line, who all gave him dirty looks. He ignored them. "I think I finally found something we'll _both_ like."

The cranky blonde in line in front of him was just paying for all of her stuff, so Riku started to pile all of his items out of the cart. "Oh? What'd you find?"

"This." Sora shoved something in front of Riku's nose, and upon closer inspection, it was a bottle of chocolate syrup.

Riku raised a silver eyebrow. "Uh, Sora...not that I'd let you get any, but wouldn't you need ice cream for this? And please don't tell me you'd drink it straight from the bottle. It would go straight into your bloodstream or something."

Sora lightly whapped his boyfriend upside the head and rolled his eyes. "Riku, Riku, Riku..._think _about it. You and I could _both _enjoy this. Think of what we could lick it off of."

"What are you—" Riku stopped mid-sentence and his eyes grew wide. He stared at the bottle, then Sora, then the bottle, his wide-eyed look turning devious as he threw it on the conveyor belt. "You dirty little minx."

"Hehehe."

"Don't think this means I'm going to start getting you cookies or anything, though. I think you'll be having more than enough of this syrup to satisfy that sweet tooth of yours."

"...You _butthead._"

----

_Oh that Riku. He's definitely got buttheaded qualities. Sora, how do you put up with him! Hmm, it's probably just because they're both sexy. Mwhaha. xD_

Anyway, I'm kind of sleepy, so I'll just grin like someone who got some Oreo pie. -grins- **Review**, please, because you're all totally awesome and I love you guys. :D Thanks to the people who read and reviewed the first theme! If I had pie, I'd so give some to you all. Mmmpie.


	3. I Forgot my Pants!

_Happy Halloween to all who celebrate it:D Since this is my most faaaavorite holiday EVERRR (and technically my new year, yay!), I have the next theme for you guys! All I'm gonna say is...poor Riku. xD Enjoy!_

**Theme: "I Forgot My Pants!"**

**Rating: T, I guess (Mr. Censor's gonna get me!)**

"Trick-or-treat!"

Riku poked his head out of the door, not even really paying attention to whoever was on his porch. He buried his hand in his giant bowl of candy, prepared to give a handful to the kids awaiting the sugar and get them the hell away from his house.

"Well, who do we have here?" he asked. Standard Halloween Question number three. He glanced up only to see a certain spiky-haired brunet awaiting the candy with an open pillowcase and a huge, plastic vampire-fanged grin on his face.

"SORA!" Riku cried, dropping the candy back in the bowl. "Don't freak me out like that!"

"You mean 'scare'. It _is _Halloween, after all," Sora replied easily, practically skipping into Riku's house. "And where's my candy? Huh? Huh?"

"You'll be getting enough later," Riku replied, rolling his eyes. "I can't believe you convinced the whole group to go trick-or-treating. Aren't you all a little old?"

"Oh puh-leeze," Sora scoffed, flopping on the couch. "You're never too old for free candy, unless you're ninety years old and rocking on the front porch or something. But even then, I'm sure there's a little old lady out there somewhere that would trick kids into treating for her."

"Whatever." Riku sighed and plopped down next to Sora. "Well, I can understand Kairi and Selphie going with you. But how'd you drag Wakka and Tidus from their monster movie marathon?"

Sora bit his lip, hiding a smirk. "I used Selphie as bait."

"What?"

"She's dressed as a black cat, so I had her be all adorable and cute while she asked Tidus. He pretends to be a tough guy, but he's so smitten when it comes to her. Kind of lame, really."

"...Yeah." Riku cleared his throat and stared off at a point behind Sora. "What about Wakka?"

"Eh, I just straight out asked him and he agreed. He said, 'Not much fun to have movie marathon by yourself, ya?' And it's sooo true, so that's why he's coming."

"And you expect me to sit here and hand out candy to the rest of the island kids, right?" Riku teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Nooo, of course not!" Sora jumped up from his spot on the couch and flung his arms around the older boy's shoulders, sending a startled Riku tumbling backwards over the armrest and causing them both to crash to the floor. Sora was unfazed and just sat up, barely even realizing that he was straddling Riku's waist.

"Sora, what are you--?!"

Sora, of course, interrupted Riku by poking his chest. "You're coming with us whether you want to or not!"

Riku muttered something inaudible under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Umm...nothing." Riku flushed beet red and before Sora could say anything else, he let out a sigh. "Hey, get up before the others arrive and they—"

"Aww, look at those two! Tiddy, why don't we ever hug like that, huh?"

"Because you'd crush my bones in the process, Selphie."

Riku groaned and dared to look up over Sora's shoulder, finding Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, and Kairi standing right there. The girls were cooing, Wakka was hiding a small smirk, and Tidus just looked bored.

Riku wanted to crawl into a hole and _die._

Sora was oblivious to Riku's mortification. "Hey guys!" he greeted, looking at them upside-down. "Are we leaving now?"

"As soon as you get offa Riku," Wakka said, crossing his arms. Riku could tell he was trying not to laugh. "We can't go out if you're on him like that, ya?"

"Or maybe Riku liiiikes it," Kairi giggled, exchanging knowing looks with Selphie. The two boys rolled their eyes, while Sora just looked confused and Riku kept on being totally embarrassed. Grrr, it was bad enough the whole island knew about Riku's crush on Sora (except for said brunet, of course—he was totally clueless), but did they have to rub it in too?!

"C'mon Riku," Sora said, standing up with a grin. "Get a costume! We'll all go out together. It'll be fun!"

"How am I supposed to put together a costume in the next five minutes?" Riku muttered, getting to his feet. "Or knowing you, in the next thirty seconds."

Sora just laughed and grabbed Riku by his shirt, leading him to his bedroom. "We can throw _something_ together. C'mon!"

"Like I have choice."

"Ooo, Sora's leading him into the bedroom!" Selphie squealed, following by Kairi's uncontrollable giggling. Riku wanted to murder them. Hmm, maybe he could dress up as Jack the Ripper or something.

Once in the room, Sora immediately dove into Riku's closet, digging through all the clothes. There had to be something he could fashion into a thirty-second costume, one way better than Wakka's 'Star Blitzball Player' one (he'd just worn his normal blitzing uniform and made a fake gold medal to hand around his neck), or Tidus's totally boring pirate costume (but puh-leeze, wearing an eye patch and carrying a wooden sword was a pretty sad excuse for a pirate).

"Uh...Sora?"

"Hmm?" The brunet's voice was muffled from basically shoving himself in the closet. "Hey, my missing orange sock!"

Riku shook his head. Only Sora would own a pair of orange socks. "Hey, listen, you know what everybody was saying back there...about, you know, us...?"

"Yeah, they make jokes like that all the time, don't they?" Sora came out of the closet carrying a whole armload of clothes. "I think I know what you can go as! It'll be nowhere near as awesome as my vampire costume, but you need to take what you can get."

"...Right."

"Here, take off your pants."

"Wha—What?!" Riku cried, his jaw practically hitting the floor.

Sora cocked his head curiously. "Take off your pants and put these on." He threw a pair dark green cargo pants that Riku forgotten he'd owned onto the silver-haired teen's lap. "And find a matching shirt. I'm gonna make you some tinfoil antennae—you can be an alien!"

"Sure," Riku sighed, slipping off his jeans and reaching for the cargo pants. Oi, he felt so...so _weird _just sitting here in a tank top and boxers with Sora right in the room. He felt smacking Sora with his stupid pants; was the brunet really _that_ dense?!

"Oh look Riku, I found Kairi's old alien-eye headband thingy. Now you don't have to wear tinfoil on your head!"

...Yes, he was.

"Sora, I—"

"Hey, c'mon! Let's show the others your costume; I'm sure Tidus will be sooo jealous 'cause it's _way _better than his lame excuse as a pirate."

Riku heaved a defeated sigh. "Yeah, sure." He shuffled out of the room, jamming the 'alien-eye headband thingy' on his head without much thought. He followed Sora, who leaped into the room with a dramatic flourish, his vampire cape flowing in the makeshift wind.

"Presenting ALIEN RIKU!"

Alien Riku stepped out in front of everyone, holding out his arms with a bored look on his face. Man, this sucked really bad. Why hadn't he just given Sora a handful of candy and been done with it?

After a moment, Riku realized that nobody was saying anything. In fact, he looked up onto to see that every single person in the room was trying not to burst out laughing.

'_What the...?' _He frowned and realized that there was a..._draft _around his legs.

Oh no.

OH HELL NO!

"Nice ghosty boxers, Riku," Tidus sniggered.

"Very festive, ya," Wakka agreed, biting his bottom lip.

"They're sooo cuuute," Selphie giggled.

Riku's mind flashed back to earlier, when the gang had caught him and Sora in that awkward position, and how he'd wanted to fall off the face of the earth. That was _nothing _compared to the embarrassment he felt now. And once again, he had the same person to blame!

"SORA! HOW COULD YOU _NOT _NOTICE THAT I WASN'T WEARING PANTS?!"

"Uhh..." Sora bit his bottom lip with one of his plastic vampire fangs. "I dunno..."

"ARGUH!"

"Well, we'd best be off," Kairi said, hiding random bouts of laughter. "I'm sure Sora wants to—ah, _apologize_ to you."

Aqua eyes blinked in confusion. "What?"

"See ya later!" Selphie cried, pulling Tidus by the arm and out the door. Kairi and Wakka followed suit, the latter shaking his head in disbelief. Riku could've sworn he heard something like, "I can't believe that actually worked," before the four disappeared down the street in their quest for candy.

An awkward silence fell over the two boys—well, over the half-boy, half-vampire and the half naked boy—until Sora cleared his throat nervously. "Well! I guess I'd better go catch up—"

"Sora, what on _earth _was that all about?"

The brunet stopped in his tracks, suddenly finding the floor extremely interesting. "Well, uh, I just, y'know—"

"I mean, if you wanted to get my pants off _that _badly, all you had to do was ask. Sheesh."

Sora's eyes shot up, wide and disbelieving. "Wha...?"

Riku just grinned. "You've already pulled off the trick—now don't you want your treat?"

--

_What can I say, I like ending lines. xD_

_Hopefully everybody has fun today, and **reviewers** get candy:D And not that nasty old people candy that so many old ladies around here like to give old. Hmph. –shifty eyes- Nope, you guys get the good stuff...but only if you **review**:D_


	4. Crazy

_Well, finally. xD This one was like...a month in the making. I had the beginning written when I was in Orlando back in October! I'm such a procrastinator. Oh well, you guys still love me, right?... _

-crickets chirp-

Uhh...yeah. xD This one makes me want cotton candy hardcore. And I'm starting to seriously think I'm programmed to write nothing but fluff. Maybe the result of too much, well, cotton candy? -lame joke- xD One of these days I'll write something non-fluffy. One of these days!...well, maybe not. I live for fluff. -evil laugh-

Anyway! Enjoy this one, and get some cotton candy while you're at it! ;D

**Theme: Crazy  
Rating: K+**

Riku heaved a sigh; nodding an apology to someone he had accidentally bumped into. Ugh, he hated crowds, he hated the expenses, he hated the lines and screaming kids. Nope, he definitely wasn't one to go to an amusement park in his spare time.

However, Sora practically _lived_ for them. He got totally silly and excited, like a kid in a candy store. That's why Riku couldn't say no when Sora had begged and pleaded to go to the fair that night, because hey, it had just come to town! They had to get their tickets _now_ or everybody everywhere would buy them all out!

'_Not if they're smart,'_ Riku thought. Apparently he wasn't one of those smart guys, but then again, he probably wasn't all that bright in the first place for going out with a guy that had notorious big, blue puppydog eyes. Nobody could say no to Sora's puppydog eyes, least of all Riku himself.

Sora owed him _big_ time for this, Riku decided as he ran into someone else who wasn't watching where they were going. Or maybe he was the one doing the smacking-into, since Sora was dragging him by the arm so hard.

"Riku, let's get some cotton candy!" the brunet grinned, yanking the older teen towards a food cart. Riku stopped dead in his tracks.

"You, eating cotton candy? I don't think so."

Sora jutted his lower lip, the main feature of the Sora Pout. As long as he didn't—aw, crap! Not the puppydog eyes!

Riku sighed in defeat. "Fine, but it's gonna be a _small_ one."

"Hmph. I _was_ gonna share it with you."

"What's the point? You'd eat it all anyway." He pulled a five out of his back pocket and handed it to the brunet. "I'm gonna get a soda from the cart back there. Meet me when you're done, okay?"

"Okay!" Sora quickly kissed Riku in thanks and bounded towards the cotton candy-man—make that Evil Cotton Candy-Man of Doom and Sugar High.

"Remember Sora, a small one!" Riku yelled, realizing that he probably should've been standing in line with Sora just to make sure. Oh well, as long as he got a caffeine-free soda, everything would be fine—he hoped.

Of course, none of the soda they were serving lacked caffeine, so Riku just bought an extra-large lemonade—the most expensive one in the world; he was sure—for the two of them to share. He stuck a straw in the lid and looked up only to find Sora's gleeful eyes staring back at him.

"GAHHH!"

"Hehehe." Sora grinned around a mouthful of pink fluff. "Scared ya, didn't I?"

"No," Riku lied, raising an eyebrow at the sugar-on-a-stick in Sora's hand. "Hey, you _did_ ask the guy selling the stuff for a small one, right?"

"...Yeah," Sora coughed. "I did. But he said, um, 'one size fits everyone's stomach'."

"Sora!"

"But Ri-ku!" And there was the pout. "It's sooo good! Here, have a piece." Without warning, he shoved a huge blob of cotton candy into Riku's mouth, ignoring the cries of protest from the silver-haired teen. Sora grinned in delight as aqua eyes narrowed, but that was it for the scolding. "Seeeee?"

"Gimmie some of that," Riku said, grabbing the stick from the brunet. "If neither of us falls asleep tonight, I blame it on you."

"Oh hush, you party pooper. It'll be like that time before our parents knew we were together and I kept you up all night with secret phone calls." Sora poked Riku in the side. "What'd you get to drink?"

"Lemonade. I wasn't about to let you have any caffeine."

"But Riku, there's sugar in the lemonade..."

"...ARRGUH!"

"Hehe. So, what do you wanna go on?"

"Hmm..." Riku frowned around a mouthful of cotton candy. He really wasn't sure he was up to going on anymore rides—he'd already been on the ferries wheel (and to Sora's disappointment, didn't get stuck at the top), a dinky little roller coaster, the bumper cars (in which Riku had totally smacked into Sora's car repeatedly, proving that he totally _could_ drive), and this thing called Graviton, which made you feel like you weighed, well, a ton. And top of that, they'd gone through practically every vendor and bought some nachos and cheap souvenirs (Sora didn't care _what_ Riku said; having your name on a grain of rice in a bottle was awesome!) and had also wasted five bucks at some lame midway games.

Yep, that was pretty much it, Riku decided. Nothing else was worth spending two dollars worth of stupid tickets on.

"Oh Riku, we _have_ to go on this!" Sora tugged the other boy towards a crowd of people and stopped suddenly, indicating that they were in the back of the line for...whatever.

Riku blinked in confusion and looked up...and up...and _up_. He quickly realized that it was one of those stomach-dropping-off-the-face-of-the-planet rides—and that thought was confirmed as several seats of people shot up the tower, the cries from the riders perfectly audible from hundreds of feet away. They were gently lowered about halfway down until they shot up again without warning. The process repeated two more times before the screaming carnival goers were finally earthbound again.

"This is gonna be fuuuun," Sora grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

"Uh, I think I'm going to sit this one out." Riku bit his lip, and frowned as he realized Sora had finished the last of the cotton candy. "If you want to, go ahead, but I think I've gone on enough rides for tonight."

"Aww..." Sora attempted The Pout.

However, this was something even The Pout couldn't handle. Riku knew that nothing would get him on something like that in a million years. He gave a small smile and ruffled the brunet's hair. "Sorry, kiddo. I'll be over there, okay?" He pointed towards a miraculously empty nearby bench. "Just find me when it's over."

Sora grinned suddenly, which wouldn't have made Riku suspicious in the least, but there was some kind of devious twinkle in those blue eyes. Ah well, whatever Sora had planned up his sleeves would have to wait until the ride was over.

"Okay," he answered after a moment, standing on his tiptoes to give Riku a small, chaste peck on the lips. "I'll find you."

With that, Riku walked to the bench and plopped down on it, mindlessly chewing on the straw of the lemonade he was still holding. He wondered how on _earth_ he hadn't heard the people from this ride screaming from anywhere else in the park. This ride—what was the name of it, anyway? He craned his head to see a cheap display hidden behind some people: FEAR-FALL: TWO TICKETS.

Hmph. They'd totally hit the nail on the head with that name.

He watched the line move, smiling at Sora whenever the brunet glanced his way. He knew Sora was probably a little miffed that Riku didn't want to ride this Fear-Fall—but come on! That tower had to be like _ten_ stories high!

Riku wasn't afraid of much, but there were definitely times where he just drew the line. Like a ten-story sudden lift at thirty miles an hour, for example.

Sora, of course, didn't mind it. When it was finally his turn for the ride, he handed the ticket guy his tickets and raced for a seat right in front, probably so he could see Riku from so high. Once everybody was all good and strapped in, there was a pause—even Riku's heart was pounding in anticipation at this point—and _whoosh!_

Sora looked like a tiny blur from that distance, but Riku could still make him out perfectly—not to mention he knew what his scream sounded like and realized people could probably hear it within a five-mile radius.

The ride continued to travel up and down at practically supersonic speed, until it was at the last drop. Riku took a sip of lemonade, hoping that the adrenaline rush from the ride would start to calm Sora down a bit.

"I LOVE YOU, RIKU!"

The lemonade was promptly spat out onto about three different passersby's, who all gave him dirty looks.

_Well._

So much for the thought of Sora calming down a bit...

Said brunet came racing out of the exit after another few minutes, probably accidentally smacking a random person or two on the way, and flung himself into Riku's open arms.

Huh. That was weird...Riku wondered when he had stood up, much less opened his arms. Time seemed to be moving in slow motion, but at the same time, much too fast. How odd...

"Riku! Did you hear me?" Sora was beaming in Riku's arms, although those blue orbs held a hint of nervousness.

"Yes, I did," the older boy replied slowly, trying to get his brain to function. He unconsciously tightened his hold on Sora, who snuggled into the embrace.

"And?"

"And..." C'mon, brain, _work!_ Feh, easier said than done. Sora loved him? Sora _loved_ him? "...How?" he finally managed to sputter.

"Well, I figured if I was finally going to say it, I'd add some visual. How many people can say that they literally 'fell' for who they loved?" Sora grinned, though it dimmed a bit at Riku's still astonished face. "Well, I mean, um, if you don't feel the same way, that's okay...I just wanted to let you know 'cause I've been wanting to say it for awhile..."

"Sora..."

"No, really! Really, if you feel different, it's okay. I don't want to pressure you into saying something you don't feel, ya know? C'mon, let's get more cotton candy." Sora tried to tug Riku back to the cotton candy stand, but didn't get very far since it seemed as though the silver-haired teen was rooted to the spot. "Riku?"

"Sora..."

He gulped. "Yes?"

"You're absolutely insane, you know that?"

The brunet dropped Riku's arm, feeling a sting in his heart. Did this mean...? "Well, yeah, but how is that news to you?"

"No." Riku gave a short little laugh, gathering a very surprised Sora back into his arms. "I mean, you're totally crazy because I've been trying to say that to you for _months_, but you just go and yell it out to the world in front of dozens of strangers."

"Well, half of them were screaming," Sora replied, the grin back on his face tenfold. "Besides, the only person I cared who heard was you."

"I did." Riku smiled and leaned in, capturing Sora's lips with his own. "I did."

Sora laughed a bit after the kiss. "So does this mean I'll have to get on some kind of heart-lurching ride every time I want to tell you?"

A silver eyebrow arched. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Ye—I mean, no! Riku, you pervert!" Sora smacked him lightly on the arm. "So, um, do you—"

"Yes, you bonehead. But how I am supposed to top how you said it?"

"You don't need to, you know." The brunet smiled again. "I just want to hear you say it. I don't care how."

"Well I care," Riku huffed, finally able to move. He wrapped an arm around Sora's shoulders as they started to wade through all the people. "Do you know how much Kairi's going to squeal when she finds out about this? It'll be enough to feed her fangirl brain for a long time, meaning I've got to top this so that brain of hers will have more things to squeal about than she can handle."

"Oh, pffft." Sora waved a hand dismissively. "Kairi's not that bad. What are you gonna do when Selphie finds out?"

"...I'd rather not know." The two passed the cotton candy vendor, although Riku didn't notice. Sora, of course, could smell it from a mile away.

"Hey Riku?"

"Hmm?"

"Love you."

A smile. "Back 'atcha. And no, you're not getting anymore cotton candy tonight. I don't want you up all night."

"Yes you do."

"...Shut up."

------

_-snickers- Ah, my dirty video game boys. They're so crazy...just because I write them that way. Mwhahaha. _

Um, yes. Man, if you guys thought this was cute, wait until the next one I have planned. Cuteness to the maxxx. And there goes by inability to write anything but fluff...oh well. It's all good, right? ;D

Am I babbling? Probably. One way to shut me up, though, is with a lovely **review!** :D 'Cause yes, you guys are totally awesome like that. Cotton candy and candy apples for the, uh, reviewiest review? xD Nothing like making up words, no siree.


	5. Secret

_Yaaaay, finally the next theme! I like this one a lot. I'm SO Kairi here. xD And originally, it was supposed to take a different turn, but then I realized it would sound too much like some other stuff written here, so I decided to crack it out. When I reread this, it sounded like a parody of the whole Sora-and-Kairi-almost-share-a-paopu-but-then-Sora-suddenly-falls-for-Riku spheal. Ahahaha. It's kind of funny. ;D_

Enjoy the crack...errr, I mean, theme:D

**Theme: Secret  
Rating: T**

"So, Sora, I bet you're wondering why I asked you to come out here..."

Sixteen year-old Sora shifted a bit under the sand, half-answering with a simple roll of his shoulder. "Well Kairi, I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with the paopu fruit you have hidden behind your back, does it?"

The redhead jumped a bit, giggling nervously. "Okay, okay, so you caught me." She pulled the star-shaped yellow fruit from behind her, plopping on the sand next to the spiky-haired brunet. "I mean, we've known each other for a long time now..."

"Mhmm." Sora was tracing a circle over and over in the sand, not quite meeting Kairi's eyes.

"And, you know, I really like you..." Sora didn't have to look to know that she was blushing. "And you like me. Right?"

"Right." He looked up, and her face was beaming with a grin. He couldn't help but grin back; it was infectious.

"So, Sora...would you like to share the paopu with me?" Kairi held the fruit up in between them like some kind of offering. She was still smiling nervously, her big blue eyes widened in anticipation.

"Sure." The word slipped out of the brunet's mouth before he could stop himself. He didn't mind; after all, he _had_ always wanted to share a paopu with Kairi...

The redhead's smile lit up her face, like the sun coming out from behind a storm cloud. She broke off a piece of the fruit, handing the rest of it to Sora. She chewed her piece quickly, while Sora just stared. Kairi sure was eating fast...and getting close. i Really /i close.

"_Hey, lover boy!"_

Sora blinked. Was that his brain talking to him?

"_Wrong head, buddy._ _Hey, guess what. You'd better pucker up!"_

Wait, was that Kairi leaning in to _kiss_ him?!

"Whoa!" Sora jumped up in flash, causing Kairi to face-plant into the sand where he'd just been sitting. Being the gentleman that he was, he automatically rushed to help her up, but winced and let go of her when he saw the _look_ in her eyes.

"Sora, wha..." Kairi was confused, angry, and on the verge of tears all at the same time. Sora immediately felt a stab of guilt since he was the one who _caused_ those feelings—but Kairi just didn't get it.

"Uh, um...Igottago," he muttered in one breath, sprinting off of the beach and making his way away from those hurt eyes. In the back of his head he knew running away wasn't going to solve anything, but he didn't care at the moment. There was only one person that could reassure him that he wasn't crazy, and his house was right around the corner.

--

"Riku! Ri-kuuu! Open up!"

It should be advised the one should never answer a door that's being pounded on mercilessly when the noise woke you up from a totally awesome dream involving sidewalks made of cheese and clouds that were really flying doughnuts. Heck yes.

But the main reason you shouldn't stumble out of bed to get the door isn't because _geez_, whoever's on the other side must _really_ be desperate to see you, oh no. It's because when you finally do open it, your best friend—who you happen to have a secret crush on, even though you're both guys, but who cares 'cause he's totally irresistible—just looks at you and starts cracking his head up at the fact that you're bleary-eyed, fuzzy-tongued, and have worse bed head than a chocobo on a bad feather day. Not that they have chocobos on an island, but it's the thought that counts.

"Shut up, Sora," Riku muttered, nonchalantly running his fingers through his silver hair in a sad attempt to get the knots out. "...Ow."

Sora smirked. "Are your fingers stuck in your hair?"

"...No."

"Really?"

"...Yes."

"Hehehe." The two sat on the couch, with Sora behind Riku, as the brunet ran his fingers through the silver strands and tried to untangle them. They sat in silence like that for a few minutes until Riku's curiosity got the best of him.

"So Sora, what brings you here this early morning while the rest of us humans are trying to sleep?"

"Um..."

Much to Riku's dismay, Sora's fingers drifted from his hair. Riku turned his torso around and leaned back on the couch, raising a silver eyebrow. "Well?"

"Kairi asked me to meet her down by the beach this morning..."

Riku's eye twitched horribly, which luckily went unnoticed by the brunet. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. She asked if we could share a paopu, and I agreed, but only because...well, I don't know. She just looked so happy, and it was right there, so..."

"Congratulations," Riku mumbled. He missed the old days, when two friends could share a paopu because they wanted to stay best friends forever, but now sharing one was as good as marriage—or in a teenager's case, going steady.

"But that's the thing..." Sora seemed fidgety now. "I never ate my piece because she tried to kiss me, so I freaked and ran over here."

"Why'd you freak out?" How odd. Riku thought that Sora would've _wanted_ to kiss Kairi.

"I..." Sora sat up and looked at Riku with pleading eyes. "I need you to teach me how to be a good kisser."

Riku, who had been mid-yawn, promptly choked on his own spit. "Wha--_what?_"

"I don't know how to kiss. I need you to teach me." The brunet glanced at the floor, his face beet red to the tips of his ears.

Riku was quickly turning red himself. "...What makes you think _I'm_ a good kisser, Sora?"

Sora looked up, his eyes wide. "Because you're _Riku_. You're good at everything."

"...Well, maybe, but I don't know about this..."

"Oh, come on. Pleeeeease?"

"Sora, how do you expect me to teach you how to be a good kisser?"

The brunet clearly hadn't thought that far ahead, because he opened his mouth to reply before turning an even more interesting shade of red. "I dunno," he muttered. "But I bet you _are_ a good kisser. Maybe you can give me some pointers."

"Uh, well...I don't know about that..."

"Why?"

"I, uh..." Riku cleared his throat. When he'd been woken up from his blissful dream earlier, he really didn't expect to engage in a secret-sharing party mere minutes later. "I've...never actually kissed anyone."

It should also be advised never to reveal something you've managed to keep hush-hush for the past two years or so just so your best friend's face will stop resembling a tomato. The intensity of _your_ blush, however, will probably be the same color as Kairi's hair.

"Wait..._what?_" Sora's mouth fell open. "You haven't? But you always said that you kissed that one girl way back when. You _lied_ about that?"

"I was fifteen, Sora. Give me a break."

Sora desperately wanted to tease Riku about this new-found information—payback for years and years of the silver-haired boy clobbering him with a wooden sword, for beating him at swimming races, and for kicking his butt at video games. However, the brunet very quickly remember his _own_ situation, and if he let this slide, maybe Riku wouldn't tease him about running for the hills when he was about to get his first kiss.

"Yeah, well..." Sora let out a sigh. "I guess we both need lessons, don't we?"

"We sure do." Riku picked at a thread on his pajama pants. "Now you've got me wondering if I _am_ a good kisser. Heh, wonder when I'll get to find out..."

Translation: OMG SORA LET ME MAKE OUT WITH YOU RIGHT NOW, SCREW KAIRI. BUT NOT LITERALLY BECAUSE I WILL BE TOO BUSYING MAKING OUT WITH YOU FOR YOU TO EVEN THINK ABOUT HER.

Sora laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, same here..."

Translation: Sure, Riku! Kiss me into oblivion! It'll be, uh, 'practice' for Kairi!

"Want to find out?" Riku was smirking now. He could obviously read between the lines. Either that or he could translate small talk really, really well.

"If I screw up, you won't laugh, right?"

"Of course not. C'mere." Even though he'd never kissed anyone, Riku wasn't exactly sure as to _how_ you could screw up a kiss, unless you bit their tongue off or something. Ew.

Sora nervously inched towards the silver-haired teen, who placed his hands on the brunet's small shoulders. "So..." Sora said, fidgeting a bit.

"So..."

"What now?"

"I guess we start practicing." Riku had always pictured his and Sora's first kiss way more romantic, preferably during the sunset after they'd confessed their love, shared a paopu, and decided to be together forever and ever and ever—not on the couch in his living room when he hadn't even brushed his teeth yet.

But hey, he was about to _kiss_ Sora. Hell yeah! He'd take what he could get!

Riku was slowly leaning in, totally prepared for a totally awesome make out session—and Sora seemed pretty content, too--when a movement caught his eye. He looked up and out the window, only to see—

"Kairi?!" he yelped, jumping up and grabbing the armrest of the couch to prevent himself from faceplanting. Unfortunately, Sora wasn't expecting the sudden movement and fell face-first into the couch cushion.

"Mmph!"

Okay, Sora was making very satisfying noises, but without Riku's mouth on his. Arrguh, damn it! Stupid couch!

Riku groaned and opened his front door. "Kairi, what the heck are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm sure Sora told you about what happened on the beach this morning," she replied, stepping into the house. Sora finally unstuck his face from the couch cushion and gave a sheepish, yet worried grin. "So I figured that he either went home or came here. I mean, he tells you _everything_, Riku."

"Yeah, he does." Riku scratched at his stomach before sinking down on the couch.

"Riku tells me a lot, too..." Sora added.

"Anyway, I decide to come over here to talk to Sora, and what do I find? You guess were about to _kiss_, weren't you?!"

Riku and Sora instantly turned bright red.

"Uh, I don't know what you're talking about. Best friends forever, yup." The silver-haired teen pulled Sora into a half-hug, which only became more awkward when he realized that he was still clad in only pajama bottoms. He quickly released the brunet. "I'm gonna, um...yeah. See you guys later." He jumped up and tore up the stairs, probably heading to the bathroom, no doubt for a nice, cold shower.

"He does realize that we're still here, right?" Sora muttered.

"Probably not," Kairi answered. "Speaking of which, think you can stay here? Maybe you can set some kind of romantic mood with him or something."

"Wha..._what?_ What on earth are you talking about?"

"Sora, if you didn't like me, you could've just said so." Kairi rolled her eyes. "_But_ you'd also have to tell me that you liked Riku! You guys make such an adorable—not to mention pretty hot—couple! Can Selphie and I watch?"

"What? No!" Sora's mind was running a million miles an hour. "I mean, _no_ because there will be nothing to watch! I don't like Riku like that! He just...erm..."

"'He just' what?" Kairi cocked her head curiously.

Knowing that Riku would rather get smacked in the head repeatedly with coconuts than have Kairi know his lack-of-kissing-experience secret, Sora was unsure of what to do about this dilemma. Hmm...

"_Where's Riku when you need him? Nice, shirtless, dripping-wet-from-the-shower Riku. You totally know that that cold shower won't help him any, right?"_

Noooo! Not that wrong head again! Shut up!

"_You liiiike him._ _Him and his sexy hair. Oh wait, everything about him is pretty sexy, don't you think?"_

"Uhh..." Sora cleared his throat, realizing Kairi had been waiting quite awhile for an answer. "Um...actually, yes! I do like him!"

"_Score!"_

"Well good for you!" She stood up and clapped, a huge grin beaming on her face. "I _have_ really liked you for a long time, but if you'd rather be with Riku, it's okay. As long as you're both happy."

Sora wanted to kick himself, and then chop off the leg that kicked him and use it to whap himself repeatedly. How the heck did he always manage to get himself into these messes?! He didn't like Riku like that! They were best friends! He liked Kairi!

"Hey, what's going on out here?" Riku suddenly asked, apparently done with his shower.

"_Mmm, shirtless, towel-clad Riku._ _You sooo like him."_

Arguh!

'_Fine, second head!_ _You win this round! But someday, I'll beat you! I'll...beat...you!'_

Sora marched up to his practically naked, dripping-wet best friend and yanked his shoulders down, bringing their faces together. Without another moment's hesitation, their lips crushed together in a hot, brazen kiss.

It seemed like ages, but it was really only seconds before Sora pulled back with raised eyebrows. "And you said you needed _practice?_"

"I'm that good, huh?" Insert classic Riku smirk.

Their rapport was interrupted by a sudden fit of giggling, curtsey of Kairi. She was laughing while looking away and hiding her eyes with one hand, fighting to keep a blush down.

"I know you, hehehe, probably enjoyed that Riku, but, erm...hehe...you might want to make sure you hold on to the towel next time you make out with Sora right after getting out of the shower..."

"_Hey, Sora!_ _Look down!"_

Riku sheepishly pulled the towel back around his waist, much to Sora's second head's disappointment. "Hey...how about I get dressed and we go over that lesson one more time?"

"Well, you always were really anal about studying," Sora replied with a smirk.

"Awesome!" Kairi squealed. "I'll go get Selphie!"

"NO WAY!"

Years down the road, he'd still frequently engage in lessons, with the excuse that he 'needed the practice'. No matter how private the 'lesson', though, it was always tough to escape Kairi's delighted squeals. Oh, the joys of knowing a fangirl...

--

_I will SO be Kairi. MWHAHAHA. I'm going to be sixty and sitting on a rocker on the front porch, giggling madly about my yaoi-corrupted whims. Ahahaha. xD_

_Anyway! Like, didn't like, whatever...but please **review! **Reviewers get one of my awesome Christmas cookies that I'm already starting to make because  
I get waaay too excited about the holidays. xD_


	6. Goodbye

_Next theme! This one spawned after reading one too many angsty fics...well, that and the new Evanescence CD. ;D This one's a bit different, and like I said, it's mostly angst...I guess every one of my challenges needs at least one depressing piece, eh? Ahahaha._

_Anyway, I hope you guys like it despite its lack of dirty humor, hehe. And there's a buttload of notes at the end, so if you don't get something while you're reading this, it'll most likely eventually be explained. So have no fear!_

**Theme: Goodbye  
Rating: T+ **

--  
**_"Now I can't let go of this dream; I can't breathe but I feel."_**  
--

"_Hey Riku, what are you gonna do when we get to the city?" _

"Eh, I dunno. Probably sit around the apartment and watch TV until I can find a decent job."

"How boring! We'll finally be in the city! We've been saving up for ages just so we could move off is island and rent _a place. Don't tell me you're going to do the same ol' lame stuff!" _

"I was joking. Geez."

"Oh." A giggle. "I knew that."

"Suuure."

--  
"**_It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out 'till you're torn apart."_**  
--

'Do-de-do-de-do, do-de-do-de-do—'

Aqua eyes quickly flew open at the sound of the cell phone. Riku blinked a few times, trying to clear his eyes. When had he dozed off?

'Dooooo-de-do-do, de-do—'

He heaved a sigh and reached for the annoying little device, not bothering to see who was calling him. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Kairi," Riku replied in a flat tone. Of course it was her. She was the only person who bothered to talk to him anymore.

"Want to get your fat butt of the couch and catch a movie or something?" she teased in her typical fashion.

Riku managed a ghost of a smile. She was also the only one with the guts to make fun of him, especially after...

He immediately went back to frowning. What had that little dream been all about? It had been six whole months. Plenty of time to get over this whole situation, right?

_'Wrong, not if I'm dreaming about him while napping in front of the TV while_ Destiny Idol _is on.'_

"Riku? You still there?"

"Yeah...yeah. Sorry, I kind of spaced out." He tugged a hand through his silver hair and sighed deeply.

She giggled. "So I noticed. So, you feel like going out tonight?"

He knew Kairi was just asking him out as a friend; to get him off the couch, back into the world, and to help him forget this whole ugly mess.

Part of him wanted to say yes—it had been six months already! Time to stop moping and venture into the world, be social, catch up with everybody. It was time to get a life!

On the other hand, six months was hardly anything—an eye blink in eternity. What right did he have to go out and have _fun_ after all that had happened?! None, that's what. He _deserved_ to be sitting in his shoddy apartment watching the lowest form of 'entertainment' available.

"...I don't know," he finally muttered. "I just don't think...I can..."

Kairi huffed an irritated sigh. "Riku, you're never going to get over this if you don't even _try_ to get on with your life! I know you miss him, but I'm not asking you to go table-dancing at a bar—I'm just asking you to go to the movies! You won't even have to talk to anybody if you don't want to! I just think—"

_Click._

If she asked tomorrow, his battery had died.

Riku stood up, mindlessly clicking the TV off. Although it was early and he had just been napping, he decided to go to bed. Talking to Kairi took too much energy out of him; he always had to _think_ during their conversations. He didn't like to think anymore, because he knew all of his stray thoughts would lead to the one person was desperately trying to forget.

--  
"**_To being an 'us' for once- instead of a 'them'."_**  
--

"_This place is huge! How many floors_ is _this building?" _

"Four, I think? The first floor alone has two shoe stores, three restaurants, one of the arcades, a pet store—"

"Riku, let's ride the escalators!"

"..."

"What?"

"We visit the biggest mall in the city and all you want to do is ride the escalators?"

"Hehe. C'mon, Riku! They didn't have any back on the island, and I don't even want to look _at a shoe store—I swear I'll hear my mom yelling at me at the back of my head at why a fourteen year-old boy needs a size twelve shoe." _

"Hmm...good point." A grin. "Race ya!"

"Hey, no fair!! Riku, get back here!"

--  
**_"I believe that dreams are sacred, take my darkest fears and play them..."_**  
--

He woke up with a desperate gasp for air, his entire body drenched with sweat. He took a few deep, greedy breaths in an attempt to slow his racing heart.

Why? Why was this happening? He hadn't had a single dream in all these six months, and now they were suddenly hitting him full force. And they weren't even _dreams_, not really—more like forcefully suppressed memories that were clawing their way out of his heart, as though to remind him of everything he had lost.

Riku didn't sleep again that night.

--  
**_"Feels like the weight of the world...like all my screaming has gone unheard."_**  
--

There was something to be said about having extremely generous parents. Although Riku's family wasn't rolling in dough, they were still extremely well-off—wealthy enough so that Riku didn't have to work for many years, if that's what he desired.

Even though he lived in the city and his parents were still on Destiny Islands, they got involved with his life whenever possible. This included playing his rent—something Riku was incredibly grateful for, considering he barely had the energy to walk from room to room in the apartment—and calling to 'check up' on him at least once a week, something Riku had appreciated in the past, but now found useless.

'Do-de-do-de-do, do-de-do-de-do—'

Speak of the devil.

Riku flipped his phone open, staring at the ceiling with dreary eyes. "Hello?"

"Hi, Riku. How's my favorite son?"

He shrugged, making a barely audible grunt as he did. He'd been the same for months and it wasn't going to magically change in a week, or a day, or with a trip to the movies. Why couldn't anyone see that?

"Oh, come on now. Anything going on? Have you talked to Kairi lately?"

"Last night," was all he replied. Honestly, if his parents didn't pay his rent, he'd forgo these stupid small talk conversations.

"How's she doing?"

"Okay, I guess." No, _she_ was doing totally fine. She wasn't living without living; sleeping, eating, and breathing just enough to stay alive. She wasn't vividly dreaming and remembering someone who apparently insisted on sticking to his heart.

He gritted his teeth, suddenly feeling like he wanted to cry, but there were no tears left in his eyes—or any to start with, for that matter.

"Look Mom, I think I'm going to lie down. I didn't get much sleep last night."

She'd been babbling again, about something small and meaningless, but promptly shut up. "Oh, sure, dear. Rest up; we wouldn't want you getting sick." She paused. "I'll call you soon."

"Yeah, okay. Bye." _Click_, without another word from her.

He wanted to smash his stupid phone to pieces.

--  
**_"It's true, we're all a little insane..."_**  
--

"_Okay, so how about two extra large with everything, an order of breadsticks, two orders of wings, and a two-liter of pop?" _

"..."

"What?"

"Are you insane? Do you have any idea how much that's going to cost?"

"Uhh...I...don't know? Hehe."

"A lot, that's how much. We don't have a lot to spend this week. I already deposited the check for this month's rent."

"Why'd you get that crazy busboy job anyway? Your parents said they'd help us out."

"Yeah, but we saved up enough to move out here on our own by ourselves, and I kind of want to keep it that way. I don't want my parents helping me out or involved at all until we've hit our absolute lowest, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess I see your point. But you still haven't seen mine!"

"And what would that be?"

"If we're careful, all of this food could last us at least a week, until you get your next paycheck. I'm kind of sick of generic cereal and ketchup sandwiches."

"All right, all right. But no meat on the pizzas. I'm thinking of trying this vegetarianism thing again."

"What?! Why?"

"I dunno. Maybe it'll save us money on food in the long run. Meat's expensive."

"So is produce in the off-season, you dunce. So, what, two orders of breadsticks and one of wings?"

"Go for it."

"Thanks." A grin. "Although I don't understand why you _would give up eating meat. You need_ some _kind of fuel for those muscles of yours." _

"All of my muscles are fine, thank you very much."

"Reeeeally, Riku? All _of them?" _

"Yes, all _of them. Would you like to feel how strong they are?" _

"What? Ew, Riku, you perv! For that, you're ordering!"

"You just want to hear me confuse the hell out of the pizza place with my sweet talk."

"Weeeeell...maybe."

"Heh, heh...always figured you for a closet kink."

"Shaddup!"

--  
**_"Wake up in a dream, frozen fear..."_**  
--

He wasn't even dreaming anymore. Or maybe he _was_; but he was crazy enough so that he didn't even need to close his eyes anymore.

Maybe it was all the months of suppressed memories crawling their way out of his heart that was driving him insane. Not just _insane_; utterly and completely _mad_. Riku couldn't grasp it, just didn't know how to _deal_ with this sudden onslaught of dreams, memories, whatever they were. At this point, his mind was so rattled that maybe, just maybe, his entire life had been some kind of waking, blissful dream and the past six months were nothing more than a nightmare he was forced to endure.

...After a moment he laughed a low, humorless laugh to no one. No matter how he looked at this, it was a nightmare he was never wake up from. Kairi was convinced he could escape it if he got his mind off of everything, but that's all it would be—an _escape_.

Otherwise, this whole lifetime of not living was going to keep on claiming him with every memory, every breath, every photograph, every time his heart beat.

--  
**_"I don't need to touch the sky, I just want to feel that high."_**  
--

"_Hey Riku, you actually feel like leaving the house tonight?" _

"Depends. If it involves another club where random people buy me drinks, count me out."

"Oh, come on! You loved the attention! And if I recall, that one redhead seemed reeeally interested in you..."

"Puh-lease. He was looking for an easy lay. After I dumped a beer on his head, I saw him groping some blond dude."

"Is that jealousy I hear?"

"Like I said, easy lay."

"Y'know, you really underestimate how attractive you are sometimes, Riku."

A smirk. "Aw, you think I'm pretty?"

"I didn't say that!"

"But you implied it."

"...Put some decent clothes on! For that, we're going down to Jack's place and I'm making you sing karaoke with him."

"You mean the Jack that dresses like a pirate when he's drunk, or the skinny Goth kid?"

"Pirate Jack, of course. He's got a much worse voice."

"Arrguh! Do I at least get to pick the song?"

"Yeah, I'll give you that one privilege."

--  
**_"I want to stay in love with my sorrow...oh but God, I want to let it go."_**  
--

Right now it would be a privilege just to be able to close his eyes and see nothing. No memories, no images, just _darkness_.

Riku ran a hand through his tangled silver mane, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. He got up and opened the sliding door to the apartment's balcony—a perk for living in such a _nice_ place.

He folded his arms over the railing and stared down at the tiny images of people scurrying by. There was a light drizzle, so some of the ants—high class women off to a night out, he assumed—were shielded by dark umbrellas.

Riku wondered how many of them had fallen into utter despair, had their hearts broken, or lives turned upside down. At times it seemed like he was the only one who'd ever experienced such defeat, but the logical side of his mind knew that he wasn't. But how long did a _normal_ person keep themselves locked away from the world? Weeks, months, years?

Time was a fleeting thing...one moment you had everything, and the next, your whole world was black and turned upside down.

--  
**_"Humming, haunted somewhere out there."_**  
--

_A hacking cough filled the room for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. _

"You don't sound so good..."

"Oh Riku, stop worrying. I'm fine. I must've picked up a bug when we went out last night. Next time it rains, we'll at least _wear coats, hehe." _

"Yeah, but you were coughing even before that. How long has it been?"

"I dunno. Look, I'm sure it's nothing. When I find a second, I'll make a doctor's appointment if you're so worried, okay? I need this story done by tonight if they want a chance of running it tomorrow." Another long, rumbling cough interrupted.

Despite it, Riku couldn't help but grin. "That's so cool you're a guest reporter for the biggest newspaper in the city. I guess working on the school paper back home really paid off, huh?"

"Definitely. I still can't believe I met the head editor when I accidentally dumped half my drink on him at that blitzball game."

"Heh, heh. Only you _would manage to get a job by soaking someone's lap in Mountain Dew. And y'know, the guy was wearing white pants. Everyone must've thought he pissed himself." _

"Psssh, he forgave me, didn't he? Thank goodness I'm such a fabulous _writer." _

"Oh, please. If I recall, I _was the one who ended up apologizing for your klutzy ass." _

"Riku!" Another cough.

He ignored it. "Oh, admit it. You win for 'Klutziest Human on the Planet' award."

"Yeah, only around you! I guess you just bring out the best in me."

"I'm good like that." Smirk.

"You wish _Ri-ku!"_

--  
**_"I long to be like you, lie cold in the ground like you."_**  
--

Riku heard the distant ring of his cell phone from inside the apartment. He didn't bother to move to get it. His mother had already called today—or was it yesterday by now?—so it had to be Kairi, and he didn't feel like rejecting another attempt of hers to get him to leave the apartment.

He didn't want to leave, he _couldn't_, especially with all of these memories involuntarily invading his head. Every little thing reminded him of something else, and it was starting to drive him crazy. He had to stop this..._had_ to make it stop...

He clutched his head and lowered his eyes, not really looking at anything. Everything was spinning, but he had total control. He just had to decide whether or not to take the downward spiral into oblivion. He wanted to forget, but he knew his heart wouldn't let him. He wasn't just grieving...he was calling for him.

Calling for someone who would never come.

--  
**_"Fear is only in our minds but it's taking over all the time."_**  
--

"_Hello, is Mr. Nakamura there?" _

Riku frowned. For some reason, a twisted feeling had formed in his gut when the phone had started ringing, and it only increased at hearing the caller's voice. "Uh, one moment." He put the phone down. "Yo, Roomie!"

"Stop calling me that! We've been living together for months."

He just smirked. "Phone for you. It's on the kitchen counter."

"Thanks."

Riku just sunk onto the couch, having a feeling this was supposed to be a private phone call. No matter how much he tried to reassure himself that he was being silly, the knots in his stomach wouldn't go way.

There was silence...

Silence...  
Silence...  
Silence...

"What?!"

Everything fell apart with that word.

"Why do you want me to go to the emergency room? I mean, yeah, the cough's been getting worse—" One interrupted to prove it. "—but otherwise I feel fine. Can't this wait?"

More silence as the caller talked. Riku chewed on a thumbnail. He really didn't like the sound of what was going on in there...

"Well, yeah, I guess I can understand that. If there's nothing wrong, I can get back home by tonight, right? ...Good. Alright, Riku—the guy who was in the waiting room with me—and I will see you then...uh-huh. Bye now." Click.

"Who was that?"

"Dr. Kumi. Apparently at my appointment a few days ago, he thought there was something 'abnormal' in my chest or something like that."

"Huh?"

"My thoughts exactly. He's meeting us at Curaga Hospital's emergency room in twenty minutes. Come on, let's get this over with."

"You're not worried?"

"Puh-lease. I feel fine. Don't worry, Ri-ku!"

--  
**_"I dream in darkness, I sleep to die."_**  
--

He felt so guilty. His remorse was oozing from every pore, coating him, stifling him.

Maybe he'd stopped living the instant that phone call was made, and he now just existed in his own personal hell. _Gotta atone for my sins, after all._ Maybe somehow it had all been contagious, and now the abnormality in his chest was his heart being smashed to pieces.

Well, not 'smashed'—'agonizing destruction and ultimate death' was probably a better term for what he was feeling.

That...and guilt.

The _guilt_ was his worst enemy.

All that ran through his head—when the unwanted memories weren't there—was '_if only'._

If only he'd...  
If _only...  
If only..._

--  
"**_How can you connect in an age where strangers, landlords, lovers, your own blood cells betray?" _**  
--

_Riku, we've been waiting in this stupid room for twenty minutes. Can we go now?" _

"No."

"Oh, come on! If there was something really _wrong with me, Dr. Kumi would be gluing wires to my head or something, not making us wait here!" _

"...Gluing wires to your head?"

"You know what I mean, Oh, hey, finally!"

Riku looked over his shoulder to see Dr. Kumi entering the room, looking grim. The knot in his stomach suddenly returned tenfold.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," the doctor apologized.

"Yeah, can I go home now?"

"Mr. Nakamura..." Dr. Kumi frowned. "I...I would recommend that you remain here for the time being."

"Why?"

"Do you recall the blood test I took at your appointment some time ago?"

A long shudder vibrated through the room, followed by a rattling cough. "Yeah, I'm still having nightmares about it."

The doctor smiled faintly. "Well, while I was analyzing it, something...else came up. Paired with the way you've been coughing and this odd noise I heard in your chest, I'd say we're dealing with something very serious here."

Riku fisted a hand in his shirt, absentmindedly clutching his stomach. "How...serious?"

"If it's what I fear..." There was a long, pregnant pause. "...There have only been twelve cases of it in the past twenty years. A warped sort of toxin finds its way into your bloodstream, and one by one your organs fail from trying to fight it off. We have ways to slow the toxin down, but no known way of stopping it. It eventually courses its way through your entire body."

A stunned silence filled the room for what seemed like ages. Riku felt like his heart had stopped along with the rest of the world. He couldn't have known how many seconds, minutes, maybe even hours passed until a small, frightened voice echoed through the room, a question that made Riku's chest twist in agony:

"...I'm going to die, aren't I?"

The doctor's grave silence was answer enough.

--  
**_"Give in to love or live in fear."_**  
--

"Riku! Riku Kobayashi, _OPEN THIS DOOR!_"

Aqua eyes blinked slowly towards the racket. For a moment, he was confused. When had he gone inside? He'd somehow gone from the balcony to the couch in the moments it took him to remember he'd really rather have purged from his mind. Funny, he wondered how he'd managed to move at all when his heart had stopped and his limbs felt like lead.

"_RIKU KOBAYASHI!"_

Oh right, that noise. He frowned at the door. Nobody would ever bother to visit a brokenhearted hermit, much less all but break down his front door. Who the heck--?

"_OPEN THIS DOOR OR YOU'RE GETTING A BOOT WHERE THE SUN DON'T SHINE!"_

Oh. Duh. Kairi. Who else would bother with him?

To his mild surprise, he actually managed to force his legs to walk to the door and slowly swing it open, almost falling over backwards when the redhead shot forward and clung to him, burying her face in his chest.

"Riku, you idiot!" Her voice was muffled by his dirty black wifebeater. "You haven't answered your phone for the past three days! I was so afraid you'd gone on me!"

He just blinked, ignoring her tears that soaked through the fabric onto his chest. Three days? It hadn't felt like any. Or maybe it was really a whole lifetime—he didn't really know or care anymore.

"I'm still here, aren't I?" he muttered, gently prying her off of him. "I've just been...sitting, I guess."

She wiped a finger under one of her teary blue eyes, and he had to look away. Her eyes...so much like _his_...

"I've been really worried, Riku." She sighed and stepped into the apartment. "Not just these past three days, but for the past six months. Why can't you let it go?"

It was a question she'd been asking for months and it always sounded catty and uncaring over the phone, but in person she now sounded...sincere. Now she didn't deserve the same half-assed answer he'd been giving her for ages.

Or maybe...he was just too tired to fight it anymore.

Riku sunk down on the couch. Kairi quickly followed, and for a few long moments, they sat in silence, unmoving, until she rested a hand on his in a comforting gesture. It suddenly occurred to him that that simple hand touch was the first human contact he'd had in six months.

"I miss him more than I thought I would," he finally whispered.

"I do too," she replied, squeezing his hand gently. "But Riku, he was one of my best friends too, and yet I'm moving on. Why can't you?"

His stomach churned with bile. He knew he should've been expecting this, but somehow, it was harder in actual practice.

Then again, wasn't that always the case?

"Riku?"

He looked away, silver locks brushing against his shoulder. He couldn't do this. Not now, not without some kind of warning. His head was spinning, turning over and over with those _same, stupid_ unwanted memories.

"I..."

--  
**_"And in the end I guess I had to fall."_**  
--

"_I brought you your mail." Riku tossed a few magazines and some envelopes onto the bed. _

"Hehe, thanks. I keep meaning to cancel the subscriptions, but they keep me sane when you're not here. Reminds me of life outside, where there are colors other than white and grey."

"Your blanket's green."

"Psssh, doesn't count. Although when you look at it, it's the same color as this stupid paper gown, they just melt together. Hey, you think if I sat in a room painted this same green, wore this, and wrapped myself in the blanket, I'd look like a floating head?"

"...Are you sure they're giving you the right blood type?" Riku raised an eyebrow at the blood-filled back near the bed.

"Yeah, yeah. They check it every twenty minutes on the dot. Speaking of which, three, two, one..."

"Hello boys." A young, familiar-looking nurse entered the room, although Riku still wasn't sure of her name.

"Come to check my stock?"

"However did you guess, Mr. Nakamura?"

"I got lucky. I'm starting to think that you're all vampires around here. How else would you get me so much blood?"

"I fear you've discovered our secret." The nurse smiled gently, her pink bow bobbing with all the routine checks she performed—there were so many machines hooked up, all beeping at different rates, and it was a wonder how she did it so fast.

Then again, it had been two months. Two of the longest, most agonizing months of Riku's life—so far. He'd been doing his best to try and act normal, to have a smile on his face whenever he was at the hospital (which was pretty much twenty-four/seven at this point), but it was getting so difficult. He could only imagine how the patient felt—he was getting worse and worse every day and it was getting harder and harder to hide. The cutesy banter between the nurses was only a distraction; anything to take the boy's mind off of his agony.

Riku's heart was breaking. He was so afraid that he would arrive at the hospital one day, only to be informed that his best friend was dead.

"Riku?"

He jumped at the sound of his name. The nurse was gone and it was once again them and a bunch of beeping machines. "Yeah?"

He didn't get an answer at first—a coughing fit filled the silence instead. Finally, after a boost from an oxygen mask, the boy spoke. "I have something I need to tell you..."

Riku's heart sped up. So did the noise on the machines. "What?"

"I...talked to Dr. Kumi yesterday."

"How'd that go?"

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to freak, but you'd better know..." A long, heavy sigh reached Riku's ears, and those big blue eyes stared into his soul. "Apparently my organs are starting to fail."

"...What?"

"The toxin's gotten to...my kidneys, I think? I don't remember." That was so like him, not to remember the first part of him that had died. "But Dr. Kumi estimated that I have maybe a month left."

"A month?_" _

The boy didn't answer right away; he just kept staring at Riku instead. The entire world had paused, much like when they'd first gotten the news, but now there was something undeniably more bitter. They both took a deep breath.

"Wow..." A month?! He had a month _to prepare for life alone? A month was hardly_ anything!

"I know...which is why..." A ratted, shaky breath interrupted. "Riku, I need you to do something for me."

--  
"**_How do you leave the past behind when it keeps finding ways to get to your heart?"_**  
--

"I've always wondered why it had to be him, of all people," Kairi murmured. She was still holding Riku's hand. "He was so bright. Always had a smile for me, no matter what." The tears were streaming freely down her face, and Riku could only stare. Why couldn't he cry? Why couldn't he shed one single tear at all?

_He knew why._ "Yeah, he was always grinning like an idiot," Riku finally muttered. "Even on the days he was really in pain, he'd just smile and joke around with the nurses like he was getting out of there tomorrow."

Kairi smiled softly. "He really loved you, you know."

"I know."

"I mean..._really_ loved you." She laughed a humorless sound. "That's why he'd never date me. One day when I went to visit him, he told me he'd been planning to tell you the night he got the call. Were you guys going to go out somewhere that night?"

"Actually, yes, now that I think about it." His voice was hoarse, dry, and it occurred to him that he didn't even remember the last time he'd had a glass of water. A glass of _anything_, really. "He'd been saving up forever to take me to that Italian place downtown, and we were going to go that night."

"That would've been your first date." Kairi was Kairi, no matter what. "Did you love him back, Riku?"

He paused. "I...don't know."

"I think you do."

"I don't think I even deserve--_deserved_--to love him. Oh god." His stomach lurched unpleasantly and his slipped his hand from the redhead's grip to bury his face in his palms.

"Riku, he might be gone, but you don't have to keep it pent up—"

"It's not as simple as that," he groaned, the answer almost inaudible from his face been hidden. "There's something else..."

"'Something else'?"

"...Entirely different thrown into the mix..."

--  
**_"I'm losing my mind and you just stand there and stare as my world divides."_**  
--

"_What...?" Riku whispered. _

"Please? I don't...I can't..."

"But what about...what about... everything?_" _

"Riku, even if they find some other way to slow the toxin down, I'll just be lying here like a vegetable. I don't want that. I know how much it hurts you to see me like this, and don't even try _to deny it. I...I don't want you to suffer because of me." _

"Who cares about me?! You're _the one who's suffering..." Riku paused and realization hit him. "Oh my god..." _

"Heh, you've always been really perceptive." A half-grin lit the room briefly. "Guess that's why I love you."

Riku clenched his fists and swallowed a lump in his throat. This was all too much...too much for anybody to handle. He couldn't...he wouldn't_... _

"Riku."

Silence.

"You're the only one I want to let me go."

"I can't. That's...like..."

"You're just giving me what I ask. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Why are you giving up so fast?"

He sighed and continued to bore his gaze into Riku's. "I may have a child's mind, but I know when my time is up. I know it's getting harder and harder to hide how scared you are."

"Can you blame me?"

"No, which is why I want you to do this. I'm not giving up—just think of it as me going away for awhile. After all, I'll see you in the next life anyway, right?"

"...Yeah."

On impulse, Riku suddenly leaned forward and took the thin, frail body in his arms, knowing that no matter how sickly his organs got, that boy's heart would forever and ever remain strong.

Thin arms wound around Riku's neck, hands entangling in his silver hair. "This isn't really goodbye. I know it's not. Not in this lifetime."

Riku didn't reply. He just remained there with the boy in his arms for another few moments, his heart feeling like lead. He had _to do this. As much as it would..._kill _him...he couldn't back down. Not now. _

He made his way towards one of the main machines the patient was hooked up too. He didn't look at the bed. He couldn't. Too bad they didn't offer life support to the healthy for something like this _where any kind of support was so desperately needed. _

Three, two, one...

The deed was done.

There was no turning back.

The heart monitor was still hooked up, still in line of aqua vision. Those little green lines continued to jump, making squeaking noises, faster and faster and faster, until—

Riku spun around, catching one last look at those blue orbs before they widened unnaturally, then slowly slid shut in eternal sleep.

That green line stopped jumping and now lay flat; its sickly, droning monotone beep the only noise in the room until Riku's frantic footsteps blocked it out.

What had he done?

How was he ever going to live with himself?

--  
**_"Are you still too weak to survive your mistakes?"_**  
--

"Riku..." Kairi's voice was hushed.

"He asked me to do it. How could I refuse him? I never had before. I managed to block it from my head, but now those last moments are all I fucking think about!" In a very sudden moment of rage, Riku threw his cell phone at the wall with incredible force. It snapped in two, bits of springs and wire cackling.

Kairi's mouth fell open. "You just..."

"Every single day I blame myself! It's _my_ fucking fault that he's _dead_! All can think of is how stupid I was—what if they'd found a cure the next day? Or the day after?! Why didn't I _make_ him fight?!"

"You know that answer better than anybody," she said. "Riku, it was his last way of showing you that he loved you—he didn't want you to worry about him anymore. He wanted you to mourn, then move on—which is exactly what you _haven't_ been doing! You've been agonizing over something he _asked_ you to do and just throwing away the life he left for you!"

As this sunk in, Riku's rage slowly melted away. Something not quite complete pieced its way into his heart, and those big blue eyes--_his_ big blue eyes—flitted across his mind.

"I think I've been holing myself away because I'm so afraid I'll see him out there," Riku finally said after a long silence. "Maybe not him in the literal sense, but a ghost of him somewhere I wouldn't be able to reach. I know he _asked_ me to do it, but I still can't help feeling like a murderer. I was so scared the guilt would be too much, that I'd see his face on everyone and just break down."

"You're already breaking down." She was back to whispering. "You need..." She studied his face carefully. "You need to say goodbye and admit that it was his time to go."

"I don't think that'll be enough to make me normal again."

"No, but it's a start. Once you say goodbye, you'll be able to start over."

He seriously doubted this. He was so exhausted from all of this talking, from so much _emotion_, that he just wanted to sleep away the next few weeks. A dark, bleak rest without dreaming would be perfect.

Kairi wasn't about to give up so easily, though. "I haven't visited his grave in awhile. I think...I _want_ you to join me. You need this more than you know."

"Kairi, I haven't stopped foot out of this apartment since the funeral. I can't deal with being around _people_. Somehow I'll get it in my head that they'll know what I've done and I'll go even crazier than I already am."

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hold on," she murmured before rummaging around the apartment for awhile, finally producing a long, black cloth. She carefully tied it over his eyes. "The next one you see will be _him_," she whispered, gently stroking his silver locks. "And he knows you're not a murderer. All you need to do is say goodbye."

"...I hope I can handle that," was all he said before he felt his arm being pulled out of the room, only halfway back into his life.

--  
**_"No matter what they told you you're not alone...I'll be right beside you forevermore."_**  
--

When the makeshift blindfold was removed, Riku found himself staring at the headstone. _Beloved son and friend—and he's probably watching you right now!_

He smiled ever-so-slightly at that. The kid had always been smiling, laughing, and telling stupid jokes so often that it would've been a travesty not to include some of that quirky humor on his final resting place.

There was a bouquet of marigolds at the base of the headstone that had been left by Kairi earlier. Perfect flower for the kid; even in death, he'd want people to smile and be bright, much like the yellow of the petals. Always giving, always the one with the big heart.

Riku didn't know how long he sat there, lost in memories that weren't really meant to be remembered and staring at a grave that was supposed to make him cry. He breathed deep and swore it wasn't just the scent of flowers in the air.

"I'm not a murderer, am I? You were right...it was just your time.

A particularly strong breeze stroked his hair, and his eyes finally smiled. He knew they'd without a doubt be together in the next life, but for now, he'd have to finish living this one—for the both of them.

Riku pulled a marigold from Kairi's bouquet, gently pressing the petals to his lips. The stem was lifted from his fingers as the flower was carried away by the wind, along with his words.

"Goodbye...Sora."

He spun on his heel and slowly walked away, that little piece of his heart finally filling in completely. He didn't look back.

It was time to begin again.

--  
"**_I hate me for breathing without you."_**  
--

----

_Notes: _

- The disease Sora had was totally made up. At least, from what I know; that'd be totally scary if something like that actually exsisted. oO But yeah, it came from my brain because it depresses me to look up stuff like diseases. And I didn't want to use cancer as what he had...that's kind of touchy subject with me.

- Yes, Riku pulled the plug. When you think about it, though, that's such a...mean phrase. I dunno. But whatever this disease that he had was, he was on life support, and Riku stopped it. I actually have no idea about the technical aspects of being on life support...I tried to search a bit on it before I wrote that part, but all I kept finding was info about CPR, and I'm not very smart to begin with xDDDD so...yeah.  
But that's why it's fanFICTION. :P

- The lyrics in between each flashback/paragraph/whatever are random ones from the Evanescence CD 'The Open Door' and I think maybe three are from 'Rent' and 'No Day But Today' from the musical 'RENT'.

- I actually hand-wrote this first, 'cause for some reason I can write angst better at two in the morning, and it took up SIXTEEN notebook pages front and back. It comes out to almost 6000 freaking words. Holy crap, I HAVE NO LIFE. -shot-

- Cookies if you can figure out what Riku's ringtone was. xDDD It's a song I'm sure many, if not ALL of you have heard. evil laugh

- The next theme is a lot happier, I promise. I already have it all written up, beta'd, and ready to go, but it's more Christmasy, so it's probably going up Saturday, maybe Sunday if I can find a spare second between all the people-visiting-ness. :D :D

Hope you guys liked this one, and maybe it made you think a little, hehehe. ;D **Reviews **are total love, and reviewers get...CANDY CANES WOOT! –dances-


	7. Snow

_Man, this is the fastest I've ever uploaded the next theme. Probably helps that I've had this one written for about two weeks. xD And it's actually been beta'd! Yaaaay!_

_Thanks to everybody who reviewed the last theme; as promised, this one's way happier. It's Christmasy fluff, yaaay. :D Speaking of which, I can't believe it's so soon! I'm counting down the hours! xDD Hopefully everybody gets what they want this year! –dances-_

_Oh, and by the way...Riku's ringtone on the last them was 'Simple and Clean'. xD Cookies to all of you who guessed correctly! –glomp- Mwhahaha._

**Theme: Snow  
Rating: K**

"Riku, do you think that we'll ever be able to go to the city for Christmas?"

It was a totally random question, one random enough to make the silver-haired teen look up from his task of unraveling Christmas lights and quirk an eyebrow. "What?"

Sora dug around in a box of old decorations and produced an old, moth-eaten Santa hat, which he happily jammed on Riku's head. "I asked if you think we'd ever be able to go to the city for Christmas."

Riku shrugged, tossing the hat off of his head, which earned a pout from the brunet. "I dunno. It's really inland, and it's, what, a day-and-a-half ferry ride to get to actual _land_?"

"Something like that. Why don't you want to wear the hat?"

"Because I think something crawled into my ear when you put it on me. Why'd you ask about the city, anyway?"

"Well, it's kind of stupid, but..." He dug around the box he'd gotten the Santa hat from some more, tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. Finally he found whatever he was looking for and placed it on the table.

"A snow globe?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. It's the closest we've ever been to real snow, you know? But then I remembered how the cities inland get some snow—once they got six inches in one night!"

"Yeah, I remember hearing about that." Riku put down the hopelessly tangled lights, frowning softly at the little snow globe. It was made of plastic, probably something Sora had gotten when he was a kid, and depicted an old, homely-looking town with some itty-bitty people standing around. There was 'snow' painted on top of the buildings and the ground, with the white glitter dancing in the liquid adding to the affect. 

It _did_ look like fun. Hardly anybody on the island had ever seen snow, so it wasn't very silly that Sora was thinking about it.

"Maybe we'll get there someday, right Riku? Just you and me." Sora grinned and went back to rummaging around box of decorations.

Riku nearly dropped the lights—not just because he was getting really frustrated in the attempt to untangle the stupid things, but because of what Sora had just said. '_Just you and me.'_ No mention of Kairi anywhere. Even though the three of them were best friends, it was nice to think back of those childhood days when it was just the two boys without any princess to protect.

Hmph. Someday they _would_ have to go someplace for the holidays where they didn't string Christmas lights halfway up the trunk of palm trees as a means of decorating outside. 

...Although at the unsuccessful rate he was going at untangling the stupid wires, Riku was sure that Sora's house wouldn't have _any_ outside decorations. Curse his 'charming young man' persona that appeared when he was around Sora's mother—"Oh, sure Mrs. Nakamura! I'll do the outside lights for you and Sora since Sora's far too shrimpy to do them himself! Looks like his best friend has to be the man around the house!"

Well, that's what Riku _thought_, more or less. Although he really figured that the real reason Sora's mother was so keen on Riku putting up the outside lights was because she feared for her son's life anytime he got _near_ the roof. Riku couldn't really blame her.

"Hey Riku, check this out."

The silver-haired teen blinked in confusion, quickly snapping out of his train of thought. "Oh? What am I looking at?"

"This." Sora held up a photo in a handmade frame; one of those school projects you wonder why your parents haven't thrown out. It wasn't the frame that caught Riku's attention though; it was the picture.

He smiled. "I remember that day. You were complaining that you couldn't make a snowman, so you made a sandman instead."

"And Mom thought it was just the _cuuuutest_ thing." Sora made a face.

Riku laughed. "Yeah, and after she took our picture with it, Tidus claimed since that you could make a sandman, then we could have a sandball fight."

"Tidus is stupid."

"He was worse back then." He laughed again. "I remember kicking his ass into next week for throwing that sandball in your face. Selphie and Wakka thought I was going to end up killing him."

"You probably would've if I hadn't told you to stop," Sora sniggered. "Anyway, you'd better hurry up and untangle those lights. I wanted at least the outside decorations done before Mom came home."

"Yeah, yeah." Riku threw the tangled mess at Sora. "Hope you have better luck. Let me know when you've untangled them so I can hook them up."

"Riku, you suck." 

"Yeah, yeah. Want me to run home real quick and see if we've got any extra extension cords lying around?"

"You're a doll."

"Nah, apparently just your slave." Riku smirked, and his eye caught on the snow-globe Sora had showed him earlier. "Hey, can I borrow this?"

"What for? Gonna throw it at Tidus's head?"

"Maybe." He dropped the object in his pocket. "I'll be back soon. Try to straighten out those lights before I get back or you're not going to have any outside decorations this year."

"Sure thing. And while I'm at it, I'll end world hunger and stop the polar ice caps from melting."

"You would," Riku replied before heading out the door.

--

Riku returned after a mere hour, having found all the extension cords he could and from working on another little project. He hadn't _really_ expected Sora to untangle all of the strings of lights—that was a task no mere human could accomplish. However, he _had_ expected just a _little_ bit a progress...

Not jumbled masses of wire and bulbs strewn all over the living room floor like some kind of magical Christmas-disaster carpet.

"Sora, what happened?" Riku sighed after he'd let himself in.

Sora didn't even blink at the sound of his friend's voice. "Uh, they were getting aggressive. These lights are like some kind of wild boar. They're untamable! We need a...Christmas-lights whisperer or something!" 

"I don't think we need to go _that_ far. You probably just lost interest halfway through and left this mess for me to deal with, right?"

"Geez Riku, you must have E.S.P. or something! I should hand you over to a team of scientists!"

"Nah, I've just dealt with this for far too long. You make me untangle these beasts every single year."

"Do I, now?" 

"...Yes, you do. And if you still feel like denying it, I'll get your mom to back me up."

Sora's eyes widened fearfully. "Okay, fine! You _do_ untangle these things year after year! I admit defeat!" He put the back of his hand to his forehead and pretended to faint. "But you're so _good_ at it. There's nobody else I'd rather have deal with my mess of miles and miles of Christmas lights."

"…Gee, thanks." Riku tiptoed his way through miles of wire before sitting down next to Sora. "I found the extension cords."

"Took you long enough." The brunet flicked Riku's forehead. "You were gone practically forever. See, you have no one to blame but _yourself_ for this mess."

"Hmph." Riku started digging around his pocket. "I wasn't _just_ looking for the cords, doofus." 

"Oh? What else _were_ you doing?"

"If you give me a second, I'll show you..." Arrguh, curse these obnoxiously huge pockets—although Riku knew that Sora's pockets were ten times worse. Yikes.

"Ha! I got a string untangled!" Sora suddenly cried proudly, stretching out the length of wire. Okay, they were untangled, but Riku just hoped the bulbs weren't burnt out or anything.

"Ah-ha!" he grinned, finally finding the item he'd been digging for in his pocket. Riku plucked Sora's old snow-globe down on the table, watching in amusement as the glittery makeshift snow tumbled around the teeny-tiny plastic world and its inhabitants.

"I thought you were gonna chuck that at Tidus," Sora remarked, raising an eyebrow.

Riku sighed. "Take a look at it, goofball." 

Sora dropped the lights back on the floor, inevitably tangling them again. He picked up the snow-globe and stared into it, his brow furrowed. "What's different about—" He stopped abruptly when his mouth fell open, blue eyes wide with surprise. He turned to Riku. "How'd you...?"

"I'm always taking stuff apart, remember?" Riku was half-smiling. "Like that one time I completely dismembered your alarm clock and when I put it back together, it played that warped version of that one song you like instead of blasting your eardrums out every morning."

"Yeah, Mom's _still_ incredibly grateful for that," Sora laughed. "But how come you did _this_?" He held up the snow-globe and shook it. Glitter flitted around, landing in piles on the 'ground', particularly near two newly-designed figures—a teeny-tiny spiky-haired brunet wearing a ridiculously detailed outfit for a snow-globe figurine, and an equally small (albeit taller) long, silver-haired townsperson in yellow and black. There were no faces on them—the figures were too small for that—but if you looked hard enough, you could almost see them grinning in glee.

Riku just shrugged. "I figured it would have to do until we can actually get to the city. You can enjoy snow in all of its glory without freezing your ass off."

"Yeah, but my little snow-globe counterpart doesn't look cold." Sora was positively _beaming_. "Thank you, Riku. This can always be our reminder of where we want to go someday."

Riku honestly didn't see why Sora was _so_ happy about it—all he'd done was take apart the snow-globe, repaint two of the figures, and refill and put the darn thing back together—but he didn't ask. "You're wel—" was all he managed to reply before the brunet suddenly tackled him in a big bear hug and sent them both flying backwards on the couch.

"Seriously Riku, you're the greatest," Sora murmured into the older boy's chest. "The best friend _ever_."

He was stunned for a moment, but Riku quickly regained his composure. "Yeah, well, it's not easy being as great as me," he joked, awkwardly giving Sora a small pat on the back before forcing him to sit back up. 

"Psssh, whatever."

"Hey, _you're_ the one who just I was 'the greatest'. You can't deny it!" 

"...Fine." Sora stuck his tongue out and picked up a string of lights. "Why don't you start doing the lights on the...roof?"

The wires were tangled _again_.

That was it. Riku decided he'd find Sora's mother a boyfriend for Christmas so they'd have some other 'man' around the house to deal with this every year. Those lights were _vicious._

Then again, when Sora's mother waltzed through the door a few moments later and jokingly scolded the boys for not having the lights up yet, and then went to make them her famous chocolate milkshakes as 'punishment'—the island's variation of hot chocolate since nobody drank hot drinks in eighty degree weather—Riku just smiled and started untangling lights again, glancing at the snow globe that was still on the table.

One day they'd go and experience a true white Christmas, complete with snow angels, frostbitten fingers, and real hot chocolate, but for now...

He wouldn't have it any other way.

--

_Awww._ _I hoped that warmed everybody's fangirl/boy hearts. :D Yeah, it wasn't about snow in the traditional sense but...I live in Florida. It's been seven years since I've seen snow besides the spray-on kind. xD I had to improvise._

**Reviews **are of course, always appreciated! Hmmm, one of my family's awesome Christmas truffles to those who do, and believe me, I don't like parting with them. ;D Bwhahaha. –cough-

_I'm not sure when the next theme will be up since I have a feeling I'm getting some video games for Christmas –evil grin-, so see you guys when I return! –glomp-_


	8. Everywhere

_Holy cheese, it's been almost six months! –falls over- I'm sooo sorry about the wait. I was working on some other things, I took a cruise to Mexico, and horrible bout of writer's block hit me. A lot can happen in half a year. xD_

_This theme actually ISN'T AU. –le gasp- Well, not too AU. I'll let you guys be the judge. xD Enjoy!_

**Theme: Everywhere  
Rating: K**

"Wow, this place sure has changed," Riku muttered in awe, leaping off the gummi ship.

"Told ya," Sora grinned, lightly punching his arm. As soon as he'd gotten a chance, the brunet had begged Donald and Goofy to let them take Riku to see Hollow Bastion—or as it had been restored to, Radiant Garden. Sora knew Riku would appreciate seeing how much the world had gone on to change after all the events that had happened a year ago.

At first Riku had been extremely reluctant—he clearly didn't want to go back to the world that held so many bad memories for him—but Sora had insisted.

Now the older boy was glad, though he didn't admit it. After all, what better way to get over a memory than to face it?

Or at least the _world_ said memories were in. Hollow—err, Radiant Garden was no longer a creepy castle filled with Heartless or Malifecent, Now it was a bustling town being led by the Restoration Committee, people that Riku just _had_ to meet, at least according to Sora.

Although after meeting Donald and Goofy for the first time way back when, Riku was reeeeally reluctant to meet any more of the, uh..._people_ the brunet had so easily made friends with.

Riku was pretty sure all the people in this 'Restoration Committee' were human, although nowadays you could never really be too sure. Especially about Merlin, some supposed wizard Sora kept yakking about. He was a good man, Sora had said, just a little eccentric.

Yeah. Man. Man-wizard. Wizard-man. _Whatever_.

Riku really wasn't sure he could be one to talk, though, considering he himself had taken on the appearance of a Heartless and all. Not that Ansem hadn't _looked_ human enough...

_'Enough!'_ he thought, shaking his head. This whole trip was going to be _fine_, Radiant Garden was no longer a dismal, creepy place, as Sora had so easily shown him. And he had to admit, riding in the gummi ship had been really, really awesome.

Now Riku followed Sora into the Marketplace, where the brunet was chatting with some relative of Donald's. Donald and Goofy had gone ahead to Merlin's place, where everybody was supposed to meet. Riku kept expecting people to point at him and whisper or burn him alive, but everybody was just going about their normal business.

"Hey Riku." Sora's voice startled the silver-haired teen out of his daydreaming.

"What?"

"Want some sea-salt ice cream?" he grinned, holding out a bar of the salty-sweet goodness.

"Sure." Riku took the stick and started slurping.

"Thanks Mr. Scrooge!" Sora said to the duck – er, Donald's uncle. He waved and pulled Riku by his free arm down some stairs, nodding towards the ice cream in their hands. "You have to eat that kinda fast, or _they_ might show up."

"Who?"

"You'll see. Well, you'll probably see. They especially like taking Yuffie's ice cream, but you never know who they'll target next."

Riku was getting a little worried. "Sora, who the heck are you talking about?"

"I _said_ you'll see. Now c'mon, you've still gotta meet the restoration committee!"

Riku took a deep breath and let Sora lead him into a tiny house, his ice cream dangling unforgotten in his hand. Any nerves he had felt earlier returned tenfold. What if these people automatically hated him because of his past encounters with the darkness? Shunned him? Turned their weapons on him?

He realized a moment later that he needn't have worried. The 'Great Ninja' Yuffie grabbed one of his hands in both of hers and shook it enthusiastically while the pretty Aerith gave him a warm smile and Cid stopped typing long enough to grunt a 'hello'.

Then came Leon, the leader of the Restoration Committee. He had his arms crossed and looked a bit, well, cross, but Sora had warned Riku beforehand that this was a standard 'Leon' expression.

Leon glanced at Sora, who was beaming at everyone's acceptance of his best friend, and then back at Riku. He gave a curt nod. "Welcome. Any friend of Sora's is a friend of ours."

_Phew._

Everyone started talking at once – mostly questions to Sora about how his journey was going – when Yuffie's eyes suddenly grew to the size of dinner plates.

"You'd better hurry up and eat that!" she half-yelped, gesturing towards the half-melted ice cream still dangling from Riku's fingertips. "If you hurry up, _they_ might not show up..."

"Who are –" Riku began, but was rudely interrupted when Sora shoved the rest of the ice cream in his mouth, almost choking him with the stick in the process. "AAACK! Sowa, blat da – " The brunet removed the stick and gave a sheepish smile while Riku swallowed the salty-sweet goodness with a huge gulp. "Sora, what the heck are you doing!?"

"Trust me on this," he replied, and the Restoration Committee nodded in agreement.

Riku just blinked, still thoroughly confused. "Okaaay..."

"Well, we'll see you guys in a bit. I'm gonna show Riku around," Sora said.

"You should go visit Tron!" Yuffie grinned.

"Err, maybe another time." Sora pulled Riku by the elbow. "Let's go!"

"Who's Tron?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Riku opened his mouth to argue, but he blinked again and was suddenly face-to-face with three new pairs of tiny eyes. The closest leaned in, examining the silver-haired boy carefully.

"Oh man!" Sora grunted. "This is exactly what I was trying to _avoid_..."

Yuffie stomped over, her hands on her hips. "We don't have any ice cream _or_ treasure here! Shoo!"

All three pairs of eyes blinked. Riku just frowned. What _were_ those things? Some kind of deformed humans? Pixies? Fairies? Hey, weren't pixies and fairies pretty much the same thing? He had no idea. That was more like Kairi or Selphie's forte.

The pixie-human-fairy-like thing in black crossed her arms and sighed. "I _told_ you coming here was a waste of time, Rikku."

Hey, wait a second, that thing had called Riku by name! What on earth was going on!?

The one in yellow pouted, grabbing the one in black's hand and swinging it around. "But _Pa-a-a-a-aine..._"

The one that had been staring at Riku put her hands on her hips. "_Leon_ can tell us for sure." She raised an eyebrow at Yuffie. "Where is he?"

"Out," Yuffie said. "Now shoo!"

None of the trio shoo'd, but instead went back to staring at Sora and Riku. "Hello!" the one in front said, bowing her head a bit. Riku noticed that her eyes were two different colors, with one being green and one blue. How odd.

Sora cleared his throat. "Hey, Yuna. What have you guys been up to?"

"Trrrrrrreasure hunting!" The one in yellow – Rikku? – flew up a few inches and punched the air. A second later, though, her expression turned right around and she hung her head. "But we haven't found _an-y-thing_."

"Well, good luck with that." Sora yanked Riku's elbow a lot harder this time and successfully dragged him out of the house. "See you guys later!"

"Wait!" Yuna was calling them. "What –"

The door slammed, and Riku frowned, hearing what sounded like 'oh, foofie!' coming from inside the house. "That thing was in the middle of talking, you know."

"Trust me, once they start, they don't stop." Sora had finally let go of Riku's arm, albeit a bit reluctantly. "They call themselves the Gullwings."

"The Gullwings?"

"I don't know, either. Their names are Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, and like they said, they're treasure hunters. Yuffie told me that they've been harassing Mr. Scrooge lately for ice cream. That seems to be their new goal."

"Hang on, you did say _Rikku_, right?"

"Uh-huh. She told me she spells it with two K's, though." Sora walked up a long flight of stairs towards the bailey. "I told her about you, and she said if she ever met you, she was going to steal her name back."

Riku stopped and shook his head. "They seem kind of ridiculous. How does everyone here put up with them?"

"Yuffie screaming 'shoo!' at them seems to be the most effective."

"...But it didn't work."

"Exactly."

Riku contemplated on this for a second while the two stopped and stared out at the castle in the distance. That castle...there were so many memories there. Would he even see it ever again after today? Did he even want to?

"Hello."

Sora let out a very girlish little shriek and leapt into Riku's arms, flinging his own arms around the older boy's neck. Riku just barely caught him, clearing his throat a bit at the brunet's, well, utter foolishness. Sora laughed and let go of Riku, rubbing the back of his neck while turning to face the intruder.

"You three! I thought you were just back at Merlin's!" Sora cried.

Yuna put her hands on her hips. "We were making sure you weren't sneaking any treasure – "

"Or ice cream!" Rikku interrupted.

" – Behind our backs. You _could_ have come across some while leaving this world. We don't want any _goons_ taking what's rightfully ours."

"Like they'd even tell us," Paine sighed, crossing her arms. "Rikku, calm down."

"Look, we're going to go...errr...somewhere." Sora waved and started running off, with Riku following close at his heels. "We'll see you three later!"

Riku had no clue where they were going, but Sora seemed confident – and why wouldn't he? He'd been here dozens of times already. They kept going, zigzagging through random hallways, occasionally fighting off a stray Heartless or two...or six. Finally they reached a peach and red-colored hallway, and proceeded inside the door at the far end.

"Where are we?" Riku asked.

"Ansem – that is, Ansem the Wise's study," Sora replied. "Leon likes to hang out in here sometimes, I think mostly to get away from Yuffie and Merlin."

"Understandable." Riku narrowed his eyes ever-so-slightly at the portrait of Xehanort on the wall, but otherwise seemed unimpressed with the room.

"Heh, I remember the King telling me that Ansem the Wise liked eating sea-salt ice cream." Sora grinned. "Can you imagine? I mean, he was so..._proper_."

"I'm sure he's not the only adult in any of the worlds with a sweet tooth."

"Yeah, but still. You know?"

"Did someone say _ice cream?_"

Sora and Riku both jumped about a foot in the air. Rikku was floating inches from them, clapping her hands happily while Yuna cheered her on and Paine just buried her face in her hands.

"You three _again!?_" Sora cried. "Where do you keep coming from!?"

Yuna smiled secretively. "That's for us to know, and you not to find out. So, is there anything worth hunting in here?"

"I dunno," Sora said. "Look, we gotta go. Uh...over there. Yeah. Later." He hightailed it out in the hallways, with Riku once again following close behind.

"I don't get it!" he gasped, once they'd stopped for breath. "Those three are _everywhere_! They never followed me and Donald and Goofy around like this! What's the deal!?"

Something clicked in Riku's brain suddenly. "Wait here," he said to the brunet, and wandered off a few feet away before heaving a sigh. "I have ice cream."

A nanosecond later, the Gullwings appeared in a flash of bright light. Well, at least that explained how they'd be stalking the two of them all over the place...

"Ice cream!" Rikku exclaimed, doing an odd little wave with her arms. "Hand it over, buster!"

Riku flipped his hair over his shoulder. "I'll buy you some if you quit following Sora and I around, okay?" Yuna glanced at Paine and nodded, while Rikku flew around happily.

"Hooray! Ah, but wait." Her face grew serious, and Riku nearly fell over at the mood swing. "On one condition..."

"What would that be?" Riku had a bad, baaad feeling about this.

The fairy leaned in and whispered in Riku's ear. Sora tried to walk closer to hear what she was saying, but Paine glared at him a bit evilly and that was that.

Finally, Riku heaved a sigh. "...Fine. Deal. Want your ice cream now?"

"Yay! C'mon Yunie!" She grabbed the brunette's arm and the trio flew through the halls, presumably up to Mr. Scrooge where no doubt they'd attempt to steal some ice cream before letting Riku buy it for them.

"What was the condition she asked?" Sora said once they were alone.

Riku sighed again. "She wanted me to be called by a...nickname while I was here, since apparently I 'stole' her name."

"Oh? What's the nickname she came up with?"

"...I'm not telling."

"Oh, c'mon Riku." Sora playfully punched his arm. "You can tell me anything."

There was yet another sigh. "...One-K."

"...Excuse me?"

"That's what everyone's supposed to call me when those three are around. One-K. Kind of since how hers has two...Sora, stop _laughing_."

"Sure thing...One-K. Pfffft..." The rest of the sentence was dissolved into laughter.

Riku sighed and stomped off towards the Marketplace. If that little pixie-fairy-thing could come up with such a freaky nickname for him, _surely_ she could come up with one even more horrible for Sora...

--

_Ahahaha__ I'm a dork. But...a PROUD dork! ;D_

_Once again, I'm really sorry for the wait on this one. I'll try to get the next theme up (the second-to-last one, ZOMG) sooner. So close to completion...!_

_Whether you liked, didn't like, or think an emoction could sum this up, a **review **is highly, highly appreciated! I have cookies...:D_


	9. Code Name

_Woot__, second to last theme! I hope you guys like this one. It makes me giggle. xD_

**Theme: Code Name  
Rating: T**

As their best female friend, Kairi felt that she knew Sora and Riku like the back of her hand. She knew their likes and dislikes, embarrassing stories, happy stories – pretty much everything. She even knew about the time Sora's pants had fallen down in front of his whole second-grade class, even though she hadn't been around for that. Ah, Truth or Dare held some great blackmail material.

However, as much as she knew about her two best friends, she could not figure out for the life of her why they had a sudden affinity for pickles.

_Pickles_.

She couldn't remember when it had started – or _how_. All she knew was that for the past few weeks, Sora or Riku – usually Riku- would ask the other if they wanted a pickled and the two would run down to the market to get some. Kairi had actually brought over a jar one day just so they wouldn't mysteriously disappear, but they'd gone anyway, saying she had bought the 'wrong' kind.

Kairi wasn't the biggest pickle fan out there, but they all tasted the same to her. She just figured the two were being difficult and brushed it off. _Boys._ However, she really started to get suspicious during one hot weekend afternoon...

"Hey Riku," Sora said from his lying-down position on Kairi's floor. They always hung out at her house since her room was so big, on account of being the mayor's daughter and all. "Want a pickle?"

Kairi raised an eyebrow when she saw Riku smirk before he answered, "Yeah, I'm in the mood."

"Awesome." Sora quickly jumped up. "We'll be back soon, Kairi. Pick out a movie, okay?"

"Why don't I just go with you guys?" she found herself saying. "I don't mind."

"Uh, that's okay," Sora quickly intervened. "It's a really short walk, and Riku and I already know the pickle aisle."

"There's a pickle aisle?"

"What he _means_ is that we already know where they are, so it shouldn't take too long." Riku was narrowing his eyes at the brunet for some reason.

"Err, yeah." Sora rubbed the back of his neck. "Back in a flash," he said before the two hurried out the door.

Kairi stared at her half-open door as though it would give her answers. Unfortunately, it was as silent as Riku's broken radio.

--

"Hey, where are Sora and Riku?" Kairi asked as she plopped her lunch tray on the table.

Selphie shrugged. "I saw them on the way over here, but didn't get to talk to them. Sora did seem awfully happy, though."

"I think Riku was textin' him at the enda class," Wakka added, opening his carton of juice. "Somethin' about pickles, ya?"

"Oh yeah," Tidus said between huge gulps of food. "Sora got it. I saw it on his phone. Maybe they went to the store?"

Kairi frowned. "They're allowed to do that?"

"Upperclassmen privilege." Wakka grinned. "And the school's not gonna argue if Sora's with him, you know?"

"True..." Kairi sighed and finally sat down. "I just wish I knew what was behind this whole...pickle-thing."

"Maybe they're buying something else they don't want you to know about," Tidus suggested, now guzzling down his juice.

Kairi frowned. "What could they possibly be buying at least once a day that they wouldn't want me to know about?"

Selphie was tapping her chin. "You need to find out! Follow them next time they leave for pickles. I'll give you hints on hiding so you won't be seen!"

The other three just stared until Kairi finally asked, "...Why would you have tips on being a stalker?"

Selphie just grinned. "I have my ways." Before anyone could ask just how many of these 'tips' she had, she cried, "Oh, look who's back! Sora! Riku!"

The two boys hurried to the table, grabbing seats next to each other. Both seemed out of breath.

Kairi frowned again. "Where are the pickles?"

"Oh..." Huff, puff, Sora wheezed. "We ate them on the way back. Really hungry."

"So why are you so out of breath?"

Wheeze, huff, huff. "We ran back here so wouldn't...be...late."

"You ran and ate pickles at the same time?"

Riku, who seemed to have regained his breath a lot more quickly, smoothly answered, "We're men of many talents," before the bell rang.

Kairi sighed. She hoped Selphie's tips would come in handy, because man, did she even need to find out what the heck was going on.

--

_Selphie's Stalking Tips:_

_1. Wear slightly different clothes than your normal style, but nothing too out of the ordinary! Preferred outfit is one the stalkee has never seen before._

_2. Mingle with crowds as much as possible, so that if the stalkee looks in your direction, you can quickly hide behind someone without looking suspicious._

_3. Don't remain stationary! If you move around a lot, you won't have the stalkee risk seeing you if they randomly look up._

_4. Have a preplanned excuse ready to roll off of your tongue in the event they do see you – but nothing too elaborate. "I was in the neighborhood" is a classic._

_5. If all else fails, RUN!!!_

--

The following weekend, Kairi was ready to put her 'Stalk the Pickle Boys' plan into action. The two were coming over, as usual, but her plan was to fake feeling sick and have the covers up to her chin so the boys couldn't see her unusual (for her) outfit – jeans and a baby tee. Everyone knew Kairi was the queen of skirts and sundresses.

After getting sympathy from them, Kairi would then urge – in a sick, faint whisper, of course – Sora and Riku to go, maybe to get some pickles. Considering their pickle fetish lately, they would most likely agree wholeheartedly and rush to the market, unaware that the redhead would be right on their trail.

It was a brilliant plan, one though of by Selphie herself.

Which, of course, meant that _something_ would go wrong.

Kairi tried not to think about that as she threw on her 'stalker clothes' – jeans she'd never worn, and one of Selphie's shirts that was white with a pink script on the front that read 'Princess'. She climbed into bed and pulled the sheets up to her chin just as she heard her mother greet the boys and tell them to go on up.

"Hey Kai–" Sora stopped in the doorway and blinked. "Kairi? Are you feeling okay?"

The redhead faked a feeble cough. "I think I have...a cold," she said dramatically. Well, as dramatic as a faint whisper could get.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "That's too bad," he said. "Is there anything we can do?"

"No...but...you probably shouldn't be here in case you catch..._it_."

Sora frowned. "Are you delirious or something?"

"Maybe! That's why you should probably leave. Maybe go get some of those pickles you're so fond of."

The brunet broke into a grin. "Yeah, okay," he agreed. He waved and started backing out of the room. "Hope you feel better, Kairi!"

"Me too!" she called as they left, then murmured, "And I know I _will_ once I find out what's going on. Heh, heh."

Kairi waited until she heard the slam of the front door, then sprinted downstairs and glanced out the window. Riku and Sora were walking down the road – but in the exact _opposite_ direction of the way to the market. Suspicious.

Additionally, they were headed down a vacant street that any of the islanders rarely ventured down. Well, _great_...that pretty much made all of Selphie's tips obsolete.

No matter. Kairi mostly stayed in the backyards of peoples homes, including behind trees when the houses stopped. It was easier than she thought, especially since Sora was jabbering away and masking any noise the redhead could've been making.

Kairi started to grow nervous as the pair stepped into a little patch of trees that she'd never seen before. In fact, not a single other sign of civilization was around. Oh man. Were Sora and Riku meeting someone here? Was 'pickle' a code for something?

_'Oh my god,'_ Kairi thought frantically. _'Are they on pickle-induced drugs!?'_

For a moment, nothing happened. Then Riku suddenly opened his arms and Sora stepped very willingly into them, wrapping his arms around Riku's neck in return.

Kairi frowned. Riku was totally not the hugging type. Sora was, but not really with Riku. What was going _on?_

The two stood like that for what seemed like hours. Kairi glanced at her watch. Two minutes had gone by.

Finally, Sora spoke with a little laugh: "You're not in a rush today."

She heard rather than saw Riku smirk. "Well, our parents think we're at Kairi's, so we have the whole day. Heck, we've got the whole _weekend_ if you don't mind sleeping out here."

"I prefer a bed, thanks."

"Was that a suggestion?"

"Riku!" _Smack._ "Don't be a pervert."

"That's asking a lot, you know."

"Or so you think."

Kairi could not believe her ears. Sure, Sora and Riku were closer than the average pair of best friends, but what they were saying was...just _odd_. Sora usually never had good answers for Riku's sarcastic remarks. When had he gotten so coy?

The redhead was so lost in thought that she almost missed Sora laughing, and to her utter shock, say, "Riku, shut up and kiss me already." She nearly faceplanted right in the dirt when the older teen smiled and did just that.

Wait.

_Wait._

_Wait just a minute...!_

Sora and Riku? Riku and Sora!? Pickles? Kissing...? Very deep kissing!? What was _wrong_ with this picture!?

And yet, as she watched the two pretty much tongue-wrestle and molest each other as much as they could with all of their clothes on, she became aware that there was something very _right_ about it. Her horrified expression morphed into a sad little smile, then a hint of a smirk.

Obviously they had thought that no one would see through their little pickle-ploy. _'Well,'_ she thought as she watched Riku's hand sneak up Sora's shirt. _'I'll just have to prove them wrong.'_

She popped out from behind her hiding place and walked towards the two lovebirds. She crunched on dozens of dry leaves, filling the area with a cackling noise of doom, but the boys were blissfully unaware. It wasn't until she cleared her throat and yelled, "HEY!" at the top of her lungs that the two sprang apart with equally freaked out expressions.

"K-Kairi?" Sora sputtered. "I-I thought you were s-sick!"

"Not sick enough to realize that something was behind your pickle runes." She raised an eyebrow. "Nobody can like them_that_ much."

"Kairi-"

"Unless the 'pickles' involved each other's tongues down your throats, right?" she finished.

Even Riku was speechless. Heck, Kairi was amazed she'd had the guts to say something like that. Sora _still_ looked bug-eyed. Finally, the silver-haired teen spoke up. "We didn't want to hurt you, Kairi." Sora and I have felt this way about each other for awhile now and we didn't know how you – or _anyone_ - would react."

"So you sneak behind my back instead?"

Riku fell silent.

Kairi sighed. "Look, I don't mind that you guys are – are –" She frowned. "Okay, so maybe I do mind a little. But I saw you groping each other back there. I really don't want to get in the middle of that."

Sora's face flushed, but Riku just looked a bit smug. "Thanks Kairi," he said. "I mean, no thanks that you were spying on us, but thanks for understanding."

She gave a two-fingered salute. "What are friends for? But don't think I'll keep this a secret forever. You guys will have to admit to this at some point."

"We know..." Sora sighed, clasping one of Riku's hands. "But this is still new to us too, you know. Give us time."

"Oh, I will. But I'd probably better get home before my mom sends a search party. You two just stay here and, uh, enjoy your pickles."

Sora and Riku just laaaughed...and carried on.

Kairi's hear was racing as she jogged home and didn't slow when she sat on her bed and stared at the ceiling in a daze. Sora and Riku...it sounded so weird, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

She suddenly groaned and threw a pillow over her face. She'd never be able to eat another pickle as long as she lived.

--

When Riku and Sora arrived late to lunch the following Monday, sweaty, out of breath, and muttering something about pickles, Kairi could only hide a smile. She had to wonder how she hadn't noticed it before – the smile she was hiding was nothing compared to the grins the boys wore.

The bell rang and Kairi scurried off towards her next class with Selphie babbling beside her, since they had the same class. She was talking about her oddly Riku and Sora were acting, and Kairi just muffled her giggles like a good friend.

Selphie suddenly paused and frowned, since she really didn't want to be early for physics. Nobody did.

Kairi watched Riku walk Sora to the classroom next door, his strong arm firmly latched around the brunet's shoulders. The fire in their eyes was so obvious, she had to wonder how they were resisting each other. Ugh, that sounded sappy even in _her_ head.

She sighed. "Hey, Selphie."

"Yeah?"

"Want a pickle?"

-- --

_Um.__ Ha ha? xD Don't go eating too many pickles, now. They're full of salt. –ded-_

_Only one more to go, zomg.__ But even so, please **review **if you'd all be so kind:D_


	10. Destiny

_OMG, last theme! –sob- I just had to save this one for last, seeing as how 'Destiny' is kind of a staple theme in Kingdom Hearts. ;D This one is written in note form, so hopefully it's not too confusing. –sweatdrops- I think this one may be one of my favorites of this challenge. I can relate to it a lot, heh heh._

_Enjoy!_

**Theme: Destiny  
Rating: T**

Hey Riku!

Can you believe this homework? Our teachers get crazier every year. I sure wouldn't mind a naptime. At least we still get recess. Meet me by the fence?

-Sora

**Sora,  
We're in the fourth grade. I'd be scared if there _was_ a naptime. And why are we passing notes? We're sitting right next to each other!**

**-Riku**

Riku, Miss Belle is bound to catch us always talking and separate us like they do every year! At least now we need notebook paper for class, so we can use it. Smart, eh?

**Sora –**

**It's not so smart when you fold the paper so weird. You can hear them crinkling from across the room. At least Miss Belle doesn't hear it. The Beast would probably tear you apart.**

Riku –

The Beast? Sounds like your dad. :3

**Sora – **

**No, _not_ my dad.**** The other 4th grade teacher. He's really nasty, so everyone calls him The Beast.**

Riku, I could take him on. Mom falls for my puppydog eyes all the time. You've seen them in action!  
Oh, only a few more minutes until recess! Dodgeball?

**You're on.**

--

Riku, you are a dirty cheater. Hello. We're not in elementary school anymore. I can tell you're kicking the ball towards me on purpose. Jerk.

**Sora, you CAN catch it, you know. I'm not the jerk here.**

You always aim right between my eyes! UBER JERK.

**Sora, we're in the sixth grade. I think you can come up with better insults than that.**

...Jerkwad.

**If you can't think of anything else, can you please stop passing me notes? We need to know this stuff for the final.**

Puh-leeze. Finals aren't for a MONTH. You study too much. :P

**At least I study.**

Hey, I make good grades!

**Because I help you study.**

...Jerkface.

--

Riku –

Why didn't you tell me about your parents last night? We didn't have to spar that whole time. We never do. What the heck?

-Sora

**Sora, I just didn't feel like talking about it. Stop passing me notes. I'm trying to pay attention.**

You're sleeping. Don't lie to me. And having divorced parents isn't so bad. At least your dad is staying on the island, right?

**I'd really rather not talk about this right now.**

Ha, we're not talking. We're writing. Are you feeling okay? Seriously.

**Fine and dandy.**** Please leave me alone, Sora.**

No! Do you know how much I hated hearing the news from my mom instead of from you? We're both worried about you. And my dad will be, once he finds out. We just want you to talk to us, Riku.

**Well, I don't want to. Just leave me alone. **

--

Riku...I'm really sorry for blowing up at you like that. I think now I know how you felt when your parents divorced. I was just...really angry, I guess, and you were in my line of fire. I'm sorry.

-Sora

**Sora – **

**I'm sorry, too. I just want to help you now like you wanted to help me back then. I'm so sorry.**

**-Riku**

There's nothing to be sorry about.

**Sora...I can't help it. I mean, at least my dad is still on the island. I can't help but feel bad.**

Mom's probably talked to your mom, but the funeral is at noon this Sunday. You can come if you want.

**Of course I'll come! Don't be stupid. Friends?**

Yeah. Do you have any idea how to work out this problem?

**The answer's negative six. And the homework is problems 1-13 on page 143.**

What would I do without you?

--

Riku –

I'm passing you a note 'cause I don't want Kairi to hear, but you can see EVERYTHING under her gown. Why did they make the girls wear white?

**Sora – **

**Beats me.**** I don't know why we even have caps and gowns for an 8th grade graduation. We should've went to the island and practiced sparring.**

And miss this? Not on your life!

**We did you even notice that thing about Kairi's gown?**

Uh, hello. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Those lights are REALLY bright.

I **think Selphie's telling her. Kairi looks _really_ embarrassed. Ha ha.**

Hey, don't laugh! In a few hours, we'll officially be high school students. We have to stick together.

**Whatever, Sora.**** Can you stop passing me notes now?**

NEVER!

--

Riku –

SOS! I don't understand ANY of these problems!

**Sora –**

**If you'd been taking notes instead of napping, maybe you would.**

Well...hmph. :P Did you notice those juniors that were waving at you this morning?

**What are you talking about?**

They were totally checking you out! Imagine if you dated an upperclassman. All the rest of us lowly freshmen would bow at your feet. You'd be THE MAN!

**Not interested. Pay attention.**

What do you mean 'not interested'? Is there ANYONE you like?

**No. Need help on the homework tonight?**

You're a lifesaver!

--

Dude, Riku, why were you freaking out so bad last night? All we did was share a paopu.

**Well, I guess I thought you'd be weirded out, considering nowadays people share them and suddenly they're going steady.**

Pffft, it's not like WE can go steady. Besides, you're my best friend. I want our destinies to intertwine.

**Good. You don't think it's weird?**

Why would I?

**No reason. Want to meet on the island today and spar?**

You're on! ;D

--

RIKU –

OMG I FINALLY DID IT! AHH, OMG. TODAY IS AWESOME!

**Uh, why?**

I finally asked Kairi out!

**I take it she said yes?**

YES! Oh man, Riku, you totally need to find a woman. This is the best feeling in the world!

**We're sophmores. I should hardly think it's that urgent.**

Psssh, whatever. OMG!

**Congrats. Now stop grinning like that or it'll fall off your face.**

You wish!!! By the way, you're not jealous or anything, are you? 'Cause I know she liked both of us.

**You guys look good together. I'm happy for you.**

Okay, awesome!!!

--

Riku, I'm sooo sorry I bailed on our study night! Kairi called and we lost track of time and then she came over for a movie marathon. I'M SORRY!!! D:

**Sora –**

**Don't worry about it. I actually got some work done.**

Meanie:P

--

Hey Riku –

Kairi and I are having a party for our one-year anniversary. Wanna come?

-Sora

**I don't know. Maybe.**

C'mon, everyone will be there! Plus, I feel like I haven't seen you in AGES. We need to catch up!

**Well, you're always with Kairi.**

I'm sorry.

**It's all right. I should've expected as much.**

Huh?

**People always spend the most time with their boyfriends or girlfriends. It's only natural.**

Well, I don't want to be like that! I promise to try and hang out with you more. Pleeease come to the party?

**Yeah, okay. It'll be better than sitting at home.**

Yay!

--

Riku, are you okay? You haven't looked very good since the party.

**Ha-ha. Thanks a lot.**

Oh, you know what I mean. You just seem kind of out of it. What's up?

**Nothing, Sora.**** Really. Can I please take some notes?**

Just one more question – want to hang out with me and Kairi after school?

**No thanks.**

Look, Riku, are you mad she brought alcohol? I know you're against it and all since, well, your dad's such an alcoholic, but you didn't have to drink any.

**I didn't.**

Really? Ugh, I must've missed that. I must be a total lightweight 'cause I only had a few beers and can't remember certain bits of the party. Kairi says I totally disappeared for like a half an hour.

**Really now?**** Ack, I think this is going to be on the final. Better pay attention.**

Yes, really?

Riku?

Rikuuuuu...

Fine, don't answer my paper footballs! Nyeah. :P

--

HEY RIKU!

Can you believe they're talking about caps and gowns!? Graduation isn't for MONTHS!

**Yeah, but they need to order them and stuff.**

Oh yeah. Haha, remember our 8th grade graduation? I bet Kairi's hoping the girls won't be wearing white this year.

**I heard it's blue all around.**

Darn! Hehehe.

**Haha**** Did they take five minutes to measure your head or what, Spike?**

It's not my fault that my hair rules!

**Whatever.**** Time is really flying...**

Tell me about it! Although sometimes I think it couldn't come fast enough. Kairi and I might get an apartment near the community college, and I can't wait!

**You're staying here? What about that big state school in Radiant Garden?**

Well, Kairi wants to stay here and I don't want to leave her. I can always transfer later. What are you going to do?

**I don't know anymore.**

--

**Dear Sora,**

**By the time you read this, I'll probably be gone. Don't tell anyone I've written this, though. I don't think it would look good for you if you knew that the class valedictorian dropped out.**

**I left because I realized that I wanted different things than everyone thought I did. I guess I was tired of being a puppet. I'm going somewhere to get my G.E.D. since no self-respecting workplace would hire a high school dropout. Well, at least I hope they wouldn't. **

**I don't know where I'm going. All I know is that I had to leave. Every day just hurts because I could never be myself on that island. I don't think I ever can be.**

**Please don't try to look for me. I'll find some way to contact you when I'm ready, whether it's ten months or ten years from now.**

**I'm sorry.**

**Yours,**

**Riku**

--

Riku –

I feel silly sending this in a bottle since it probably won't reach you, but it's been a year and I'm going crazy. Please, please come see me.

-Sora

--

RETURN TO SENDER

Dear Riku,

I'm sending this to Radiant University hoping you're there. I really want to talk to you. I just...I want to see you. I miss you.

RETURN TO SENDER

--

To whom it may concern:

I will admit that I don't subscribe to _Travel_, nor do I read it often, but I was flipping through your latest issue at the grocery store today, and I noticed that your article about the resort at Atlantica was written by a Riku Narumi. Could you please forward this letter to him, if it's not too much trouble? He is my best friend, but we haven't spoken in three years. I miss him a lot. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Sora Nakamura

--

**Sora,**

**I can't believe you read even one word of _Travel_. That doesn't sound like you at all.**

**Jokes aside, thank you for that effort.**** I must've started a hundred letters to you over these last few years, especially right after I left, but that's no excuse, I suppose.**

**I see you're still living on the islands. I hope everyone is doing well. Drop me a line when you have the time.**

**Yours,**

**Riku**

RIKU!

What's with the formality!? I've miss you so much, you have no idea, you jerk! I can't believe you didn't even tell your own MOTHER you were leaving. She was crying sooo hard at graduation.

But anyway, how have you been?? It looks like you're traveling a lot! I've always wanted to visit Olympus, you lucky duck!

I've been doing great. I never got to transfer to Radiant Uni, but the people at the community college are so awesome, so I don't really mind! Kairi's glad I stayed – and so am I. You'll NEVER believe it (or maybe you will!), but last month, I finally popped the question – and she said YES! I was _so_ nervous, you have no idea. The wedding date is set for sometime this spring (so soon!), and now that I have a hold of you, I want to ask – will you be my best man? I can't think of anyone who would be better!

Please let me know!

Sora

**Dear Sora,**

**Congratulations on your engagement. You had nothing to be nervous about.**

**I'm very sorry to say this, but I'll be away most of the spring doing an article on the Pride Lands, and I can't get away. I'm sorry. In fact, I'll be leaving next week for preparations (it's a highly dangerous area), so I'll write and let you know when I'm back on civilized land.**

**I'm really sorry. Congrats again.**

**Yours, **

**Riku**

Riku,

Okay, it's been SIX MONTHS. Surely you must be back by now! Unless you got eaten by a lion or something...

The wedding was really nice; what Kairi and I always dreamed of. You'll have to see the video WHEN you come to visit (hint, hint!). Kairi and I graduated from the community college a few months back, but we're still living in the same apartment. Not for long, though, because – she's pregnant!!! (How did I manage not to write that at the start!?)

Kairi and I are totally thrilled! Ha, now you'll eventually HAVE to visit, Uncle Riku!

Sora

**Dear Sora,**

**I'm sorry it's been so long...errr, well, a year, in fact, since I last wrote. Things have been insane with the magazine and with life.**

**Congratulations on Kairi's pregnancy. She must be quite far along now. I'm sure you'll both make great parents.**

**I'm not so sure on visiting, though. I...**

**I never had a chance to talk to you or anyone about it. In fact, it's the first time I've really told anyone besides the women who try to hit on me when I go out, but...**

**Alright, I'll just write it:**

**I'm gay. There, I wrote it.**

**I've known since high school and I wasn't sure how you – or anyone – would take it. It's part of the reason I left, to be honest – most of the island is so closed-minded and I couldn't take it.**

**Well, now that you know, you can decide for yourself if you ever want to see me again. I'll be waiting.**

**Yours, **

**Riku**

--

_ We are pleased to announce the birth of Arlene Lea Nakamura, born to Sora and Kairi Nakamura on April 26 at 1:43 a.m._

_ Born 9 lbs, 1oz; 21 inches long with dark blonde hair and bright blue eyes._

_Welcome to the world, Arlene!_

--

Riku,

I feel like such a bad friend for not replying sooner! Did you get Arlene's birth announcement? The whole labor was so crazy. I think I was more nervous than Kairi was, but she came through with flying colors. Man, I can't believe I'm a father. It's so unreal.

But enough about me. I've had your last letter sitting on my bedside table every since I got it. I read it every night (and whenever Arlene cries in the middle of the night), and it's only recently that I was able to read it with tearing up. Go ahead, call me a sap.

Riku...you can tell me _anything_. You always could and will always be able to. I really wish you had had the courage to tell me this back in high school. Sure, I might've been a little freaked out at first, but you're my best friend and _nothing_ will ever change that.

Times are changing and I'm sure the island would be more accepting nowadays. And maybe I have no right so say this because I don't know what it's like, but – who care cares what they think?

Please come visit, Riku. Kairi and I really want to see you again and I really want you to meet Arlene. You'll love her, I know it.

Please think about it.

Sora

**Dear Sora,**

**Thank you for that letter. For some reason, now I'm more ready to face everyone, even though there's no way I'm telling anyone else about my sexuality. It means a lot knowing you'd back me up, though. Thanks.**

**I'm in Traverse Town at the moment, so I've booked a flight to the islands for the Saturday two weeks from now. It's supposed to arrive there at 2p.m., but I've traveled enough to know that airlines are never on time, so I expect to be arriving at around 4:30p.m. I've called my mother and she's letting me crash there, so you can visit that night if you want. If not, I'll stop by your apartment on that Sunday.**

**I'm looking forward to this, surprisingly. It'll be nice to see everyone again.**

**Yours, **

**Riku**

--

RIKU!

I can't believe you barely stayed for a week! You need to visit longer next time – we still have SO much to catch up on! I think Kairi was kind of mad I left her with most of the work with Arlene, but I haven't seen you in SO long, so ha!

Everyone was so surprised to see you! Did you notice at all!? Hehe. I think some people from high school thought you were dead or something. But you actually look the same as you did right at the end of senior year! I can't believe how long your hair has gotten. A ponytail is a good look for you.

Didn't I tell you you'd love Arlene!? She seemed very taken with you, hehe. You'd make a good father. Can gay couples adopt? I have no idea, but if they can, you definitely have to meet someone who wants kids!

Err, am I being too forward about that? Heh. I guess I just don't know very much about gays. Honesty, you'll always just be _Riku_ to me, gay or not.

Man, I really am a sap. I miss you so much! You must visit again when you have some time off!

Kairi's calling (she sends her love), so I guess I'll end this here. Hope to see you again soon!

Sora

**Dear Sora,**

**I had a good time on the islands. The visit was a lot better than I expected, but a lot of that had to do with you – thanks. **

**Arlene is adorable. She's your daughter all right, if her clumsiness is anything to go by. Is she still carrying around that stuffed rabbit I bought for her?**

**As far as I know, gay couples can adopt if they prove they are able at raising a child. I never really thought about it – I don't think I want kids unless I'm with someone who was involved with a woman and had kids with her. I dunno; other gay guys I know don't seem like able parents. Or maybe it's just me.**

**I'm scheduled to do an article on Port Royal next – wish me luck.**

**Yours, **

**Riku**

--

**Dear Sora,**

**I know this may be quick notice (or not, considering it's been months since my last letter), but I'm coming to Destiny Islands for a visit. Things have been really hectic and I need a vacation. I'd like to see you.**

**I'll be arriving next Friday afternoon.**

**Yours, **

**Riku**

Dear Riku,

I'm really sorry about your visit. Well, I'm not sorry you visited, but I'm sorry you had to see that huge fight Kairi and I had. It was completely inappropriate, and I'm sorry.

We're in the middle of buying a house since Arlene's almost a year old, and we're just kind of (okay, _really_) stressed out about it. I'm sorry if we made your visit totally suck; that wasn't the intention. I feel like I barely got to talk to you with all that went on and with all the babbling I did. I really hope we didn't scare you off.

I hope you visit again soon.

Sora

**Dear Sora,**

**It's alright. You don't have to apologize. I recently moved to a permanent place in Twilight Town, as you can see by my return address, so I know how stressful it is. The magazine thinks I'm overexerting myself, so I've been living here a few months at a time between traveling. It's nice.**

**I met someone here named Roxas – he reminds me a lot of you, if you had an evil twin. I feel a bit odd getting into an actual relationship so late in life, but it's okay – honestly, I don't see what all the fuss is about.**

**I hope you're doing better. Send me your new address when you move, alright?**

**Yours,**

**Riku**

--

Riku,

Time flies way too fast! I hope you're still living in Twilight Town...if you're not, then, well...I don't know.

We just celebrated Arlene's seventh birthday. She's growing up so fast. And guess what – she might be a big sister! Kairi thinks baby number two might be on the way, but we're sure yet. We're finding out this Monday.

Are you still with Roxas? I have to admit, I laughed when you called him my 'evil twin' – why would you want to be with an evil me? Heh, heh.

I'm thinking of visiting Twilight Town to see you, if you still live there. To be honest, Kairi and I have been having a few problems lately, and our couples therapist suggested we take separate vacations to be alone for awhile and think about things. So I figured I'd come see you if you're not working. Let me know!

Sora

**Dear Sora, **

**I'm free all next month, so anytime then would be okay. I'm looking forward to it!**

**Roxas and I were together for about a year, but we just clashed too much. I was with this guy Axel up until about six months ago, but get this – he left me for Roxas. I don't mind; neither of them were right for me.**

**Anyway, it'll just be the two of us at my place. Twilight Town is pretty small, but it has a few good bars if you're up for that. Otherwise, don't expect much.**

**Can't wait to see you!**

**Yours,**

**Riku**

--

Riku,

Man, you weren't kidding about the bars! Kairi and I would sometimes go out for a drink or two back in college, but I haven't had anything like that since Arlene was born. I'm such a lightweight – I honestly don't remember much about that weekend. Sorry if you told me anything important, heh heh.

But anyway – I'm so glad we got to catch up! Why don't you live closer again?

Kairi took her vacation to Atlantica (Mom took care of Arlene for the week). She didn't seem to like it too much, though. She's been really tense ever since we got back. Amazing – I had more fun at a place that isn't a five-star resort!

Anyway, we need to do that again sometime! This vacation has done wonders for me. Now I know why the magazine makes you take time off!

Until next time...

Sora

--

RETURN TO SENDER

Riku!

It's been too long! Why do we always go years between letters? Hmph.

Arlene is ten now – and she has a little sister! Jazmine is two and a half years old. I can't believe I have two daughters. It's unreal.

I feel bad because we go so long between contact, and then I write all about myself, but I don't know who else I can turn to about this.

Well...Kairi and I have been rocky for awhile. Things got better when Jazz was born, but now the fights have been starting up again. It's getting ridiculous, and we both know it. We can barely go to couples therapy between work and the kids. I feel awful, but really, more so for the kids. I know Arlene knows something's up. She hides in her room a lot.

Sorry to dump this all on you! Please write back and ramble about your life. :) How have you been?

Hopefully soon I can get away and come seen you. I really want to.

Sora

RETURN TO SENDER

--

**Dear Sora,**

**Wow, how long has it been? I'm sorry I haven't written – I moved again and it was kind of a messy process. But now I live in Radiant Garden and I love it. There's a lot to do and it's a beautiful place. The community is pretty close-knit; they've accepted me with open arms. There's actually a resident gay couple – two guys named Leon and Cloud. They've become kind of mentors for me since we're all a lot alike. You're never too old to learn from someone.**

**I'm thinking of visiting the islands on my next month off. Will you be around?**

**Yours,**

**Riku**

Riku –

No wonder that letter got sent back! Read the other one that's enclosed first.

Yes, I'll be around. Can't wait!

Sora

--

**Dear Sora,**

**Arlene and Jazmine are lovely young ladies. You're such a lucky father. I can't believe Arlene still has that stuffed rabbit.**

**I don't mean to pry, but I don't think Kairi liked having me there. She seemed really angry. Maybe I'm just imagining things...like I said, I don't want to pry. Just forget it.**

**Sorry so short, but I'm about to leave for Agrabah. This should be fun...**

**Yours,**

**Riku**

--

Riku,

I hate for you to come home to depressing news, but I really have no one else to turn to. I don't even think my own mother wants to talk to me at this point – it seems like the whole island's on Kairi's side.

It's only been three months since your visit, but things have basically been hell since then. You're right – Kairi didn't want you there. She thinks you 'hog my attention' (!?!?). Not to mention that while you were there, she went snooping through my stuff and found the letters you've sent over the years. She found out that you're gay. Of course it freaked her out and – I'm so sorry about this – she blabbed to the whole island about it. Everyone is with her in thinking it's 'unnatural'. Ugh.

Not to mention that she's gotten this crazy idea into her head that I _cheated_ on her with you. Can you imagine!? How ridiculous. At first she thought I had some sort of secret girlfriend that you knew about, but of course after finding out about your sexuality, you became that imaginary girlfriend. Naturally, the whole island believes it, so I'm basically an outcast now. Only the kids are the same towards me, and they're the only reason Kairi hasn't kicked me out. She doesn't want them traumatized.

I hate this. I don't know if I'll ever be able to repair this whole mess. I think Kairi's planning on filing for divorce, and I don't even _know_ how I'm supposed to react to that.

I know what you're thinking, Riku – please don't blame yourself for this. Kairi and I have been having problems for awhile now, and if she can't accept who you are, then so be it. I just hope I don't lose any custody of the girls. You and them are the only people who keep me sane.

Miss you.

Sora

--

**Sora,**

**I've started this letter hundreds of times over the past few months, but no matter how I word it, I can't soften to blow. This is even more difficult than my coming out letter.**

**First of all, I _do_ feel guilty about basically causing you and Kairi to split up. Don't tell me how to feel. There are things you don't know.**

**I have to be honest – I've never been completely honest. When I dropped out of high school all those years ago, part of it was because I was worried the island would shun me (looks like I was right), but most of it was because of you. Back then, we wanted different things and it just broke my heart. It also hurt me to see you with Kairi.**

**She was right – you did cheat on her with me, albeit unintentionally – twice, in fact. I won't go into too much detail since you probably don't want to hear it, but once was back in our...junior year, I think, and the other was when you came to visit me in Twilight Town. Both times you were drunk. I tried to stop you, but there was only so much I could do before I wanted to give in.**

**Yes, 'wanted.'**

**Sora, this is the hardest thing I've ever written, but...**

**I love you. I always have. I've always wanted to be with you. I travel to keep my mind off of you. Visiting you kills me because we're not leaving together. I know I probably sound like the crazy middle-aged fruitcake I am, but I can't help it.**

**You're probably disgusted and I don't blame you. I just thought that you had to know before you finalized anything with Kairi. It _was_ all my fault.**

**I'm so sorry.**

**Riku**

**--**

_KAIRI NAKAMURA-PANETTIERE_

_SORA NAKAMURA_

_DIVORCE REASON – INCONCILABLE DIFFERENCES_

_FINALIZED – JULY 26_

--

Riku,

I didn't want to contact you until the divorce was finalized – yes, it happened. It's been two long years, but things have finally settled down somewhat. Kairi has main custody for Arlene and Jazmine, but I have visiting rights whenever I want and am required to send child support – not that I wouldn't.

The divorce was messy at first, but somewhere along the line, we both just kind of calmed down. I feel so much older than my years.

After I moved out (I'm back in our old apartment building for now), I had a lot of time to think about everything. I was wondering just how and when I'd become so unhappy about everything, and one night I realized that I wanted to have more opportunities. I don't regret being with Kairi, since I really did love her – a part of me always will – but she's always been very grounded. Back then, I went along with what she wanted because I was, well, pretty whipped. But it was when you first visited that I realized that the island was becoming too small for me. After hearing about your job and all the places you'd been to, something inside of me wanted that too. Of course, I had Arlene, so I convinced myself that everything was fine and ignored it.

Looking back, I realized that things were falling apart little by little, especially when I saw you. And now that I know what happened during one of those visits, I think my heart knew a lot quicker what took my head decades to figure out – that you're the one I've always wanted to be with.

I've reread your letter more times than I can count and it's the most honest thing I've ever read. As for my honesty, I just...I know I'm not gay, but I've finally figured out that that little voice I've been hearing all these years is screaming at me to go to you. At this point, I don't know what I want from you – the physical part of a relationship is just totally out of my mind right now – but I just have to see you. I have to.

I've booked a flight to Radiant Garden two weeks from now because I'm honestly too shaken up for the day drive there. I'm supposed to arrive at around three. Please, please meet me there.

Sora

**Sora – **

**I'll meet you at the gate.**

**Riku**

--

**Sora,**

**Good morning/afternoon/whenever you decide to wake up. I know you're probably still jet-lagged, so I won't make fun of you...much. Heh, heh.**

**I think I have a freaking _bruise_ from when you attacked me at the airport. I've forgotten how dangerous your hugs can get. **

**Anyway, I'm just letting you know that I had to go down to the magazine office so we could discuss the locations for the next few months. I'll be home tonight, so we can talk then if you're not too tired. Well, you'll probably do most of the talking – I'm still flabbergasted. I think I always will be as long as you're around.**

**I'm turning into a sap in my old age. I'll see you tonight.**

**Riku**

I didn't mean to give you a bruise! I'm sorry!

Or maybe I did. You're only as old as you feel, you know. :P

--

Morning Sunshine,

Was I dreaming or was that our first consensual kiss last night?

**Yep. Are you mad?**

No. Far from it. I feel like a teenager again.

**It's only been a year since you moved in with me, Sora. Are you sure you want this?**

I'll bet it was the longest year of your life.

**It's up there. Now can we stop writing notes, or can we talk about this?**

I think I'm still speechless. That kiss was amazing.

**Why, thank you.**

Egotistical maniac. :P

**Want to be rendered speechless again?**

Bring it on.

--owari—

_Oh man. –sobs some more- I can't believe this is actually complete! And it took less than a year, too. Go me? xD_

_Uh.__ Ahem. _

_I really hope you guys liked these fics as much as I've liked writing them. :3 It's been kind of crazy, but hey, nowadays, crazy is good. xD_

_If you all would be so kind as to **review**, I'll give you...cake. :D Everybody loves cake! Also, could you please let me know what your favorite theme of this challenge was? I'm curious. –smiles- Thanks!_

_Be on the lookout – I have an AkuRoku LJ challenge coming up, this time for 30 dates. The first theme of that is going up on AkuRoku day (8/13), so if you like AkuRoku, be sure to check it out! Also, I'm planning on uploading another Riku/Sora fic – an actual fic, mind you, that's LJ-challenge free and has multiple chapters – sometime next month, so if you'd like, you can add me to your alerts so you don't miss a thing!_

_Thanks for reading, everybody, and more love to those who reviewed! You guys rock! –glomps-_


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